(2nd April 2025 – Online Preparatory Meeting; 8th April 2025 – Table Top Exercise; 11th April 2025 – Field Exercise)
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) are jointly organizing a state-level mock drill on April 11, 2025, to evaluate preparedness for cyclones and related disasters.
An online preparatory meeting will be held statewide on 2025 April 2nd (tomorrow). This meeting will include participation from District Disaster Management Authorities of 13 districts (excluding Ernakulam), representatives of various departments related to disaster management, local self-government institutions, central and state forces, railways, telecom service providers, responsible officers of critical infrastructure, and agencies such as Vizhinjam Port, VSSC (ISRO), IOCL, IMD, INCOIS, CWC and NRSC. Members of the Inter-Agency Group will also attend, and the meeting will be led by Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), a member of NDMA.
Subsequently, on 2025 April 8, a Tabletop Exercise will be conducted under the leadership of emergency operation centers at the state, district, and taluk levels. During these exercises, key aspects such as the functioning of the pre-determined Incident Response System upon receiving disaster warnings, operations of control rooms, coordination between departments, effective use of communication tools, functioning of sirens, and coordination of response and rescue operations at disaster sites will be evaluated.
Special observers from NDMA will monitor the procedures of the Tabletop Exercises from the State Emergency Operations Center.
On 2025 April 11, mock drills will simultaneously be conducted at 26 selected locations across 13 districts in the state (a list is attached). Mock drill exercises play a crucial role in disaster response preparedness. They help assess the current readiness of various systems and evaluate necessary actions for improvement. These drills will be conducted following the guidelines outlined in Kerala Government Order No. 619/2023/DMD dated October 19, 2023.
