THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government has decided to constitute a specially-trained 660-member disaster management force which will have teams at district and regional levels.
Each of its members would be trained in disaster response procedures at world class standards. The authorities hoped to bring in a qualitative change in disaster preparedness, DGP Jacob Punnoose said here on Monday. He was addressing a mock-drill organised by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as part of the Surakshayaanam workshop on disaster management organised by the Revenue Department. Since Kerala is susceptible to vagaries of weather, the State Government’s aim is to ensure that every person is protected when disaster strikes, Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said.
Shashi Tharoor MP, who inaugurated the event, said that the Disaster Management Act of 2005 provides a legal basis for setting up response mechanisms not just at the national level, but state and district levels.