Abstarct

In the field of disaster management and preparedness in India, the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) is often discussed with respect to the exceptional feats achieved by the organisation in a disaster-prone state like Odisha. The Super Cyclone of 1999 in Odisha witnessed a human casualty of nearly 10,000 and affecting more than 18 lakh houses and nearly 4.4 lakhs of livestock. The cyclone ravaged 14,190 villages in 12 districts. This heralded a new era of disaster management approach in the state, one which went on to set an example for the country and influenced future national level policies. While the state government reached out to international aid agencies for humanitarian help, it also mobilised the establishment of its own agency that would collate all the efforts by multiple agencies towards the single aim of restoring normalcy in the state at the earliest.