News & Announcement
Gyalshing DDMA Conducts Successful Earthquake Simulation Exercise
Gyalshing, September 12 (IPR):
The Gyalshing District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA), conducted a successful mock exercise simulating an earthquake disaster scenario. The entire exercise was supervised by the Incident Commander-cum-ADC (HQ), Ms. Rajani Sharma, accompanied by Mr. Suresh Rai, Safety Officer-cum-ADC (Gyalshing), Mr. Tshering Sherpa, Operation Section Chief-cum-SP (Gyalshing), Mr. Pulkit Balhara, SDM (HQ), Mr. Krishna Subba, Information and Media Officer, Mr. Ganesh Kr. Rai, Liaison Officer-cum-DPO (DDMA), and the Incident Response Team of the district.
The mock exercise simulated an earthquake in Gyalshing measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale occurring at 9.30 AM IST on 12.09.2024 with epicentre at Lachen, North Sikkim. The exercise was conducted at seven different locations:
1. Rimbi River Valley:The water level surpassed the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) due to an earthquake-induced Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), affecting surrounding habitation.
2. Dentam Sr. Sec. School: Earthquake-induced building damage at the school premises, where students and staff were trapped in different rooms.
3. Gyalshing Nagar Panchayat (GNP) Office:An earthquake-induced fire occurred, with some staff stranded at the office.
4. District Hospital Gyalshing (DHG): An earthquake-induced building collapse occurred at the hospital.
5. Sakyong Road: An earthquake-induced landslide was reported, causing damage to life, property, and infrastructure.
6. Dentam-Som Road: Another earthquake-induced landslide.
7. Legship River Valley: The water level surpassed the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) due to an earthquake-induced Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), affecting surrounding habitation.
In the district, 14 villages were affected, impacting a total population of 76 people. Unfortunately, 7 human lives were lost, and 38 individuals were reported missing. Among the injured, 8 people suffered grievous injuries. Rescue operations successfully saved 6 individuals, and 31 people were evacuated to safer locations.
The Health Department team of Gyalshing categorized victims’ casualties via color coding: Black (dead), Red (severely injured), Yellow (least injured), and Green (discharged after first aid).
The situations were conceptualized to derive certain lessons and identify gaps, if any, in the resources/systems. Mobilization of resources took place on the orders of respective department heads to mitigate the situation. The concept of the Incident Response System to manage the disaster was practiced. At the end of the mock exercise, a detailed debriefing took place to consolidate good practices and lessons learned.
As a part of the exercise, officials from the District Administration, Police Department, Fire Service, Medical Emergency Services, 36th and 72nd Battalion SSB, all line department and others participated.
After the mock drill, the Incident Commander-cum-ADC, along with the Incident Response Team of Gyalshing district, attended the debriefing session through a video conference conducted by Consultant NDMA, Maj General (R) Shri Sudhir Bahl in presence of Secretary(Disaster Management) Ms. Namrata Thapa.
During the state-level video conference, Incident Commander, Ms. Sharma highlighted some of the best practices observed during the exercise, such as clear communication, well-defined responsibilities for all stakeholders, reduced response times, and efficient coordination of search and rescue efforts.
The ADC also emphasized the continuous commitment to disaster preparedness and noted that there is further scope for training the community, including GPU heads, schools, and other civil volunteers, to enhance the primary response.
In case of a real-time disaster, the helpline number for the Emergency Operation Center (EOC), Gyalshing, is 03595-250633.
The Gyalshing District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA), conducted a successful mock exercise simulating an earthquake disaster scenario. The entire exercise was supervised by the Incident Commander-cum-ADC (HQ), Ms. Rajani Sharma, accompanied by Mr. Suresh Rai, Safety Officer-cum-ADC (Gyalshing), Mr. Tshering Sherpa, Operation Section Chief-cum-SP (Gyalshing), Mr. Pulkit Balhara, SDM (HQ), Mr. Krishna Subba, Information and Media Officer, Mr. Ganesh Kr. Rai, Liaison Officer-cum-DPO (DDMA), and the Incident Response Team of the district.
The mock exercise simulated an earthquake in Gyalshing measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale occurring at 9.30 AM IST on 12.09.2024 with epicentre at Lachen, North Sikkim. The exercise was conducted at seven different locations:
1. Rimbi River Valley:The water level surpassed the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) due to an earthquake-induced Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), affecting surrounding habitation.
2. Dentam Sr. Sec. School: Earthquake-induced building damage at the school premises, where students and staff were trapped in different rooms.
3. Gyalshing Nagar Panchayat (GNP) Office:An earthquake-induced fire occurred, with some staff stranded at the office.
4. District Hospital Gyalshing (DHG): An earthquake-induced building collapse occurred at the hospital.
5. Sakyong Road: An earthquake-induced landslide was reported, causing damage to life, property, and infrastructure.
6. Dentam-Som Road: Another earthquake-induced landslide.
7. Legship River Valley: The water level surpassed the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) due to an earthquake-induced Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), affecting surrounding habitation.
In the district, 14 villages were affected, impacting a total population of 76 people. Unfortunately, 7 human lives were lost, and 38 individuals were reported missing. Among the injured, 8 people suffered grievous injuries. Rescue operations successfully saved 6 individuals, and 31 people were evacuated to safer locations.
The Health Department team of Gyalshing categorized victims’ casualties via color coding: Black (dead), Red (severely injured), Yellow (least injured), and Green (discharged after first aid).
The situations were conceptualized to derive certain lessons and identify gaps, if any, in the resources/systems. Mobilization of resources took place on the orders of respective department heads to mitigate the situation. The concept of the Incident Response System to manage the disaster was practiced. At the end of the mock exercise, a detailed debriefing took place to consolidate good practices and lessons learned.
As a part of the exercise, officials from the District Administration, Police Department, Fire Service, Medical Emergency Services, 36th and 72nd Battalion SSB, all line department and others participated.
After the mock drill, the Incident Commander-cum-ADC, along with the Incident Response Team of Gyalshing district, attended the debriefing session through a video conference conducted by Consultant NDMA, Maj General (R) Shri Sudhir Bahl in presence of Secretary(Disaster Management) Ms. Namrata Thapa.
During the state-level video conference, Incident Commander, Ms. Sharma highlighted some of the best practices observed during the exercise, such as clear communication, well-defined responsibilities for all stakeholders, reduced response times, and efficient coordination of search and rescue efforts.
The ADC also emphasized the continuous commitment to disaster preparedness and noted that there is further scope for training the community, including GPU heads, schools, and other civil volunteers, to enhance the primary response.
In case of a real-time disaster, the helpline number for the Emergency Operation Center (EOC), Gyalshing, is 03595-250633.