Create an emergency preparedness plan.

It roared and ejected. The outburst, accompanied by deafening thunder, started flowing out of its mouth. Lava gushed and started flowing below the slopes while the huge amount of hot dust and smoke shrouded cities flourishing in its valley below. The cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried alive beneath the heavy mass of volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Mt. Vesuvius was furious and swallowed everything that came its way in its pyroclastic flow.

Pompeii, now a ghost town, is in Italy near modern Naples. It is now like a “living fossil” lying in eternal slumber, showcasing the life and lifestyle of the Romans. The attack was drastic and sudden; it did not give time to arrange things or escape. Thinking about preparedness was out of bounds.

Nature sometimes becomes intimidating and ferociously dangerous. It doesn’t show commiseration or sympathy to anyone.  With its tremendous power, it smashes everything and anything. It behaves like Brobdingnagians with its massive crushing power and ferocity.

Another recent example of Nature’s fury was on 06 August 2025, when a cloudburst occurred in Dharali, near Harsil in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India. The cloudburst above Ksheer Ganga caused a big landslide. It snowballed into a tremendous gush of slush, debris and boulders that came gushing and smashing everything that came in its way. Within no time, the village was buried in ten to twenty feet of slush and detritus. Rescue efforts began, but the disaster left deep scars on the human mind. People lost everything, including their near and dear.

Natural catastrophes are difficult to predict, if not impossible. Modern technology and space research merged with space exploration have opened new vistas in meteorological prediction, but sometimes it is sudden and doesn’t give time for preparation. It would not be improper to say that prompt preparation is possible, armed with the precise and apt information provided by the remote sensing applications. It considerably helps in prompt evacuation and taking protective measures. It has been tested and tried strategy to combat the destruction caused by natural fury.

The cyclone and resulting destruction are a usual occurrence. It used to be destructive, where widespread loss of life and property was a frequent phenomenon. Cyclones cause widespread heavy rainfall, strong gusts of wind, and high tides that create a dance of destruction and loss. Thanks to technological advancement and judicious deployment of rescue and relief operations, the loss of life is minimised to almost nil.

Establishment of control rooms, deployment of trained medical personnel and makeshift hospitals are the essential things that are taken up on a priority basis. Food, water and medicines are provided, and if necessary, air services are availed. To accomplish the task with accuracy, the army and air force are also pressed into action. With coordinated effective management, many precious lives are saved and properties restored.

People are also sensitised and trained. Basic life-saving training is imparted to people, and some are given a little more elaborate training to oversee the relief work at the local level. The local contribution and involvement give an impetus to the relief and rescue operation. Locals are the backbone of it, for they know the terrain and area.

Besides natural calamities, there are other types of disasters caused by human activities. The sabotage and conspiracy hatched by a few miscreants or terrorists result in planned murderous attacks and the spreading terror. Hostile neighbours conspire and support terror and terror outfits on their soil to create mayhem. The trained terrorists infiltrate to destabilise the system and terrorise the people. Their aim is to disturb public order and to raise fissiparous elements. With the help and support of the sleeper cells, terrorists sometimes succeed in their conspiracy. The alert brave security forces and the army successfully thwarted most of the sinister plot well in time. The terrorists are eliminated, and public order is restored.

The public is the sense organs of the country and its government. Vigilant individuals are effective in quickly identifying and isolating destructive elements, aiding in their elimination and cleansing. The destructive activities by terrorist groups are not natural disasters, but rather the consequence of a few quislings and antisocial elements who, lured by greed, become accomplices of the enemy and assist in their acts of sabotage.

To combat this menace, equal or sometimes more force is required. With people’s participation, a strong intelligence system, and effective supervision, the loss of life caused by the terror attack was minimised. Strengthening this system and giving a strong message to terrorist outfits by destroying their launch pads, has a magical effect in curbing acts of destruction and terror to a great extent.

The strong message to the world and the hostile nation nurturing terrorists was given in the ongoing “Operation Sindoor”. A befitting reply was given both in the field and in their propaganda war. It was loud and clear to the world that India is a country which does not interfere in anyone’s affairs, but if it is provoked, it will retaliate with full power and annihilate the terrorists’ nursery and camp.

To cope with the eventuality, preparedness is necessary, but at the same time, it is the vigilant people who play a pivotal role in averting any mishappening planted by enemies or selfish elements. The systemic loopholes need to be sealed, and a flushing out of the network becomes sometimes necessary. Periodic unclogging of the drain and cleaning it for easy and smooth flow of water is necessary; likewise, the terror outfits need to be cleaned periodically. In any system, it is necessary and is being done.

It is rightly said that lack of caution leads to accidents. It is applicable in every sphere of life and not limited to the framework that runs a country, a small office, or on an individual level. If a student is prepared in studies and his preparedness is all-around, success is inevitable. The preparedness needs to be internalised. It should be an intrinsic part of daily life. 

Sometimes exigencies are imposed by a nation that tries to bully and apply pressure tactics to force an ostensible “developing country” to bow. It is the willpower of the people and the preparedness of the country which safeguards against any such bullying. A sovereign country is free to make its decision keeping in view the broader welfare of the country. Bullying for parochial gains and prohibiting from making alliances or purchases for the best interests of the country is unwanted and unacceptable. Any act of imposing its will by another country needs to be considered an infringement of sovereignty. It has to be dealt with firm determination and resolve with people’s cooperation.

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