Tuesday, February 28, 2012

India acquiring weather reconnaissance aircraft to ensure better cyclone forecasting

Press Information Bureau, Government of India: One of the major recommendations made by NDMA in the National Guidelines of Management of Cyclones was the establishment of the Aircraft Probing of Cyclones facility to significantly reduce errors to the extent of 30% in terms of landfall, intensity and storm surge. Govt. of India is taking steps to acquire a Hercules C-130J for this purpose alongwith an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). With this capability all, all countries of the Indian Ocean Region would also be able to benefit greatly. This was stated by Shri Shashidhar Reddy, Vice Chairman, NDMA during his meeting with Delegation from Madagascar headed by Mr Razakanaivo Mamy Nirina, Head of the Disaster Prevention and Emergency Management Unit, Prime Minister’s Office (CPGU), Madagascar in New Delhi today.

Shri Reddy also informed that traditionally there is a very good response mechanism in place. There was a evacuation of more than 6.5 lakhs people when a cyclone hit in Andhra Pradesh in 1990 which was till date the highest ever human evacuation in the context of the natural disaster.

Shri Reddy explained to them some of the salient features of the National Guidelines for the Management of Floods, Cyclones and Urban Flooding. He also informed, it is for the first time NDMA has decided to address Urban Flooding as a separate disaster de-linking it from floods which affect a large tracks of rural area besides “scientific and technological innovations will greatly improve disaster management capabilities of any country”, said Shri Reddy....

A C-130J Hercules is cleaned up in the new wash system (nicknamed the Bird Bath) at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. Public domaiun

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