CHENNAI: In an effort to establish an early disaster warning system, very high frequency equipment and public address systems with sirens will be installed in 55 coastal and flood-prone villages in Cuddalore, District Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi has said.

The project, being implemented along with the UNDP, will install a system that will automatically trigger warnings through the sirens and public address facilities about an impending natural calamity.

The district is also getting ready vulnerability maps of the 651 villages in the district for preparing the communities to handle a disaster situation.

The best warning system will be one that combines technology with community preparedness, Mr. Bedi said. He was addressing a digital video conference on `Early warning systems for natural disasters,' organised by the U.S. Consulate, Chennai, on Wednesday.

Commissioner for Revenue Administration R. Santhanam said the State was taking a holistic approach to early warning systems — integrating equipment with the local community, the implementing authority and scientists.

The locals must be in a position to receive such warning, be aware of the urgency and prepared to act in emergency situations. Efforts must also be taken to avoid giving false alarms since these would erode interest in the system.

Director, Rural Development, J. Radhakrishnan, said Tamil Nadu had institutionalised a disaster management system after the tsunami and taken measures to spread awareness and increase community participation. A multi-hazard warning system rather than merely a tsunami warning system would sustain interest among communities. The thrust was also on getting communities ready to respond, the former Nagapattinam Collector added.

Project implementation officer, Tsunami Project Implementation Unit, Rajendra Ratnoo, said pre-tsunami disaster preparedness training at Samiyarpettai in Cuddalore, had proved effective in reducing the loss of lives during the tsunami.

He suggested that those trained within the community on disaster preparedness be used to orient other villagers.

The DVC linked three experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, with 11 Indian experts, policy makers and implementing agencies, including two district collectors, to facilitate a discussion on effective hazard monitoring and warning systems, disaster risk reduction and preparedness, community involvement and co-ordinated information exchange.

The U.S. panelists included David Mckinnie, Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning, Russel Jackson and Edward Young of the NOAA. The discussion was moderated by Brooke Spelman, Vice-Consul, U.S. Consulate.

Others who participated included C.V. Shankar, Officer on Special Duty, Relief and Rehabilitation; Ranvir Prasad, Collector, Tiruvallur; A.R. Subbiah of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Bangkok; Kalliappan of the Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University; Sundar of the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT; Nina Minka of USAID; and Chandrima Biswas of UNDP.

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