Kohima, August 22 (MExN): A two capacity building program for Nagaland Emergency Preparedness Exercise (NEPEx) was organised by the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Home Department at ATI, Kohima.
Chief Secretary, Pankaj Kumar IAS while delivering the key note address said that this NEPEx is required to review our capacity to respond in the event of a natural disaster to minimize loss of life. He stated that our State is vulnerable to a variety of natural calamities and disasters such as earthquakes, cloudburst and flashfloods (Meluri in 2015 and Dimapur 2017), lightning, hailstorms and forest fires. The CS stressed on the need to sit together and ponder over the risks the State is exposed to and minimizes our vulnerability to them.
Highlighting the guidelines laid down for the Incident Response System (IRS) brought out by the NSDMA, calling upon all the AHoDSs/HoDs the CS added that the exercise, today and tomorrow will help us prepare better by reminding us of our role and responsibility and putting the State through a stimulated exercise for which a mega mock drill is planned on August 30.
The first day of the capacity building exercise went through the various branches of the IRS as ‘An introduction to the IRS’ by Johnny Ruangei, OSD, NSDMA, ‘Roles of RO and its command staff’ by Dr. Hovithal Sothu, Dy. Director, ATI, ‘Role of Operation Section’ by Medozhalie Peinyu, Addl Director, CD&HG & Dy.Co. General HG, ‘Role of planning section’ by Benjamin Longkap, SDO, Meluri and ‘Role of Logistics’ by Sushil Kumar IAS, DC Mkg. The sessions were also follwed by interaction amongst the participants.
Mention may be made that this two day programme is a percusor to the Mega Mock exercise which will be held State wide on the 30th August 2017 to test the capability of the State to respond and to manage any mega impending disaster.
NSDMA, Media wing in a press release stated that the programme was attended by AHoDs and HoDs both at the State and district level.
