Shelter management during pandemics: lessons from cascading risks of cyclones and COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose The concept of multi-purpose cyclone shelters has been found effective in saving various lives during past cyclones. The recent cyclone Amphan, which hit the Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal in the middle of pandemic COVID-19 has posed severe issues related to cyclone shelter management in the rural areas. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the case of Odisha in a pandemic and draw some key lessons of cyclone shelter management, which can be useful for future cascading risks in other parts of the country and the region. Design/methodology/approach Cyclone shelters are critical infrastructures in the management of cyclones, associated hazards and saving crucial lives. The effective management of shelters during emergencies is dependent on the existing institutional mechanism, local stakeholders and their understanding of the key functions of the emergency shelters. This paper reviews the key challenges through literature, reports and direct interviews of field professionals and practitioners. Findings In normal times, cyclone shelters are used as schools and their management lies with the local communities and/or elected bodies. Some of the key emerging issues include: the convincing population at risk for evacuation with proper care, existing emergency shelters being repurposed as COVID-19 facilities, need for hygiene and safety material, special arrangement and segregation of population at higher risk of COVID-19 and large destruction of social infrastructures. Originality/value During cascading disasters, adaptive governance becomes important. With the study of cyclones during the pandemic period, the paper draws key decision-making and governance points of cyclone shelter management. This case analysis can be useful to other similar situations during the prolonged pandemic time.

Building resilience: Safeguarding Odisha from natural calamities

“…In Odisha, evacuation and shelter management are essential elements of preparedness and response for disasters. The state administration has created thorough evacuation plans for cyclones and floods, establishing safe routes and designated shelters for evacuees in cooperation with local authorities and community organisations (Mohanty et al, 2021) [25] . The administration initiates these evacuation preparations in times of emergency, deploying resources to enable the safe evacuation of vulnerable populations.…”

A Systematic Literature Review on Transit-Based Evacuation Planning in Emergency Logistics Management: Optimisation and Modelling Approaches

“…With respect to the egress time available, there are various evacuation types, such as evacuation without prior notice of disaster (explosions [52], terrorist attacks [53], and earthquakes [54]) and evacuations with advance warning of threats (hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis) [55]. From another point of view, two parallel considerations were taken into account when categorising emergency evacuation planning studies: (a) annotated evacuation scenario taxonomy (such as building evacuations [56], mass evacuations [57], and mixed traffic evacuations [58]) and (b) annotated evacuation cause taxonomy (such as evacuation in response to natural hazards [59], evacuation in response to man-made disasters [60], and evacuation in response to hybrid disasters such as Natech events (combined technological accidents and natural hazards) [52,61,62] or cascading natural hazards [63,64]). As this study focuses on transit-based evacuation planning studies, we will articulate the "evacuation scenario taxonomy" to position our study among these classifications.…”

Evaluating the network of stakeholders in Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems for multiple hazards amidst biological outbreaks: Sri Lanka as a case in point

“…During the COVID-19 outbreak, options available for safe evacuation were limited due to social distancing and restrictions on movements. Therefore, it was predicted that large evacuation measures for a concurrent hazard scenario could trigger a drastic increase in the morbidity and mortality of the pandemic [ 11 ] [ 63 ] [ 37 , 43 ].…”