27 Feb : Mock exercise on earthquake stimulation was successfully carried out at Kohima today at the Office premises of the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima which was the Incident Command Post for the day and the local ground Kohima which was the designated relief camp for the exercise.
The siren for earthquake stimulation was sounded by the Police Department at 10:00 AM which was followed by the conduct of mock exercise and visit to relief camps and designated hospitals by Member, National Disaster Management Authority, J.K.Sinha, Senior Specialist, NDMA, Brig (Dr) B.K.Khanna, Secretary Home, T.C.Sangtam, Team Leader, Disaster Management Cell, Home Dept. Michael Yaden and others.
The mock drill was carried out under the supervision of ADC Kohima, Zeneituo Yano who was the designated Incident Commander for the day and SDO©, Tarep Imchen who was the Operation Chief. Hundreds of volunteers from the Kohima Municipal Council, YARD, Red Cross Society, Home Guards and adjoining Offices took active part in the mock exercise by posing as homeless destitute, traumatized patients, injured and the dead. Besides, all the stake holding Departments for disaster management like the Police, district administration, IPR, Home Guards, Fire & Emergency Services, Medical Department etc were in full force.
A demonstration on dealing with emergencies during disasters, search and rescue etc was presented at the local ground by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and lunch was served to the hundreds of volunteers and other participants by the Office of the Assistant Director, Supply, Kohima.
Press briefing was done by Member, National Disaster Management Authority, J.K.Sinha at DC’s Conference hall after the conduct of the mock drill. He said that he was impressed by the whole stimulation exercise and had noticed the eagerness of the people to learn more. He expressed satisfaction that the State is already equipped with modern equipments and appreciated the Civil Defense and Home Guards for their active participation. He also stressed that people should prepare for disasters according to the vulnerability of the area and further lauded the district administration for their good job.
Sinha also said that Incident Command System is a chain of commands among various stakeholders which is to be followed in times of disasters. He said that the NDMA shall be bringing out a manual in few months time and stressed on the importance of trainings of officials which is very vital in sensitizing not only the officers but also the general public. Stating that the media also has to play a big role in spreading awareness on disaster management, Sinha urged upon the media to continue contribute their part sincerely..