THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will be revamped and fishermen who venture into the sea will have to register their names with the Fisheries Department during departure. These were two of the major decisions taken by the Cabinet on Wednesday in view of cyclone Ockhi and its aftermath.
The government has also decided to ask the Centre to continue the search and rescue operations until the last of the fishermen missing in the sea is found. Also, the Centre will be asked to announce a special reconstruction package and declare the Ockhi-induced disaster a national calamity as it was of an unprecedented scale. Besides, a State Emergency Response Centre will be established in Thiruvananthapuram, with a zonal office at Ernakulam. These centres will utilise the services of the fisheries, police and Fire and Rescue Services Departments and the Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force.