Very rarely so far have I had the opportunity to write about a success in terms of planning for an environmental hazard. The government of India finally gave me that opportunity over the weekend, when it evacuated performed its largest evacuation of people people in the nations history, in response to a threat by Cyclone Phailin. The cyclone did indeed hit, and 17 were killed, but the death tole could have been far worse had it not been for the evacuation. Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground in Michigan, stated that changes in infrastructure, weather forecasting, and emergency servicing all contributed to the low number of deaths. This part of India is no stranger to tropical cyclones as 26 of the worlds 35 deadliest cyclones have occurred in the Bay of Bengal. Now, the biggest long-term problem is the rice production lost. Nearly 600,000 hectares of the state's rice area was affected. This is equal to 15% of the state of Odisha's rice planting area, which could affect a large amount of local farmers. This loss has the potential to be a big blow to rice productions, and the 17 lives lost should not be forgotten, but the potential affects that could have occurred cannot be forgotten. The Indian government deserves a great deal of recognition for their actions and keeping their people as safe as possible.
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