Goa To Conduct Statewide Mock Exercise on Cyclone Preparedness and Disaster Response

Panaji: The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), will conduct a statewide mock exercise on cyclones and other natural disasters at different locations in Goa on Friday. The drill follows a series of meetings that the two district collectors held in the last few days to review flood mitigation efforts and disaster response SOPs.
District collector Egna Cleetus announced that a comprehensive mock drill simulating cyclone preparedness will be conducted on April 25 from 8am to 3pm. The mock exercises will include evacuation drills and testing of early warning systems. These activities are strictly for preparedness purposes, and the public is urged not to panic. Govt has urged people to cooperate and follow the directions issued by the authorities.
The primary objective of the mock exercise is to assess and strengthen the preparedness and response capabilities of various stakeholders in the event of a cyclone or associated disasters.
In North Goa, the exercise will be conducted at Aivao beach, the Panaji ferry wharf, Bicholim’s mahadev temple at Salem, Mapusa Industrial Estate, Porvorim KTCL bus depot, Malim fishing jetty, Morjim beach, and the Manohar International Airport, Mopa.
In South Goa, the drill will be conducted at the Mormugao port, Goa Shipyard, petroleum termin
als, Baina beach, Chowgule shipyard, Betul panchayat, and Murdi Bagh at Ponda.
The mock drill will test evacuation procedures and early warning systems to ensure optimal emergency response coordination.
A few days earlier, a state-level tabletop exercise was conducted by the SDMA and the NDMA, with revenue secretary Sandip Jacques chairing the meeting to go over the plan. Representatives from the armed forces were also present. Similar exercises and review meetings were conducted by the various district collectors.