Cyclone Gaja: Tamil Nadu govt launches early warning system in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam districts

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday launched a pilot project of early warning system in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts, using a siren tone as a mode of communication for evacuation of people to safe areas.
Revenue and disaster management, mitigation minister R B Udayakumar inaugurated the project at the state emergency operation centre in Ezhilagam here.“The objective of the early warning using disaster warning announcement system is to give enough time to communities to evacuate to safe shelters,” the minister said.
The early warning system/disaster warning announcement system is being implemented under the Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project. ELCOT has been appointed as project manager to assist the project management unit at a cost of Rs 50 crore.
As per the plan, about 450 units will relay information -- in the coastal habitations -- provided by the India Meteorological Department and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services. These units are installed in a way that habitations are covered by the one-km radium audio range of loud speakers and one-km radius visual range of LED lights during normal climate.
Of the 450 units, 120 sites were inaugurated on Thursday in Cuddalore and Nagappatinam. The units are installed in panchayat offices, schools, multipurpose evacuation, cyclone shelters, community halls. Overall control, dissemination of alert messages and monitoring of all district units will be done by the central unit installed at Ezhilagam in Chepauk.
On completion of the project, all three modes of communication – siren tone, pre-loaded voice messages and live voice messages will be used. This system has the facility to communication specific warning messages to a selected affected area with the help of the connected software from the state centre.
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