PREFACE

The efficiency to face a disaster depends on the preparedness taken before the head. Most of the disasters which happen in Kerala occur during the monsoon season. Since 2012 The State Disaster Management Authority has conducted a meeting for the preparedness of the state during the monsoon season which is chaired by the commissioner of state relief authority.

The Ockhi cyclone and the 2018 flood have established the fact that the state must have a three-tier (present at village, district, and state-level) Incident response system which defines a function to be carried out in a coordinated manner by the various departments. Due to the circumstances a guideline for the preparedness during the monsoon season is prepared and published under section 22 (2) (f) of the disaster management Act, 2005.

According to the circumstance relevant in each district a plan must be conceived and implemented by the concerned authorities. The District Disaster Management Authority must coordinate and head these operations. In the light of years of experience, this handbook has been revised and more effectively used to cope with the upcoming disasters.

This handbook is approved by the state executive committee of KSDMA held on 06-05-2019 and by the Government vide GO (Rt) No. 280/2019/DMD dated 09-05-2019. The State Executive Committee Convened on 30-04-2020 directed the State EOC to update the revised edition of this handbook in the light of the 2019 flood. In the light of Covid-19, social distancing and the possibility of spread should be considered for the preparedness of monsoon 2020. The expert doctors from Medical College Thiruvananthapuram who advises on matters relating to the COVID 19 in State EOC have also contributed to this.

Executive Committee, State Disaster Management Authority