THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A 30-member team from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), along with an expert team from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), will conduct a comprehensive Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) in Wayanad in the aftermath of the devastating landslides.
The week-long visit, which will begin on Monday, is intended to analyse the impact of the disaster to estimate long-term recovery and reconstruction needs. The state has already submitted the Relief Memorandum to the Union government.
“The expert team will visit the affected site, engage with the impacted communities and local officials, and assess societal needs to formulate a report guiding the reconstruction of Wayanad. Its a multi-sectoral approach and PDNA will give a better perspective on the way forward to rebuild Wayanad,” KSDMA member secretary Shekar Lukose Kuriakose told the TNIE. Kerala was the first state in the country to adopt PDNA during the 2018 floods.
According to experts, PDNA will give a more realistic picture of the disaster and how people are affected in various sectors. “The Relief Memorandum focuses only on the losses and damage caused by a disaster. The PDNA is a more scientific approach which assesses the impact and outlines a recovery strategy considering social and economic impact,” said an official.