The United Nations on Friday acclaims the Odisha government for effective management and successfully evacuating and protecting precious lives during the cyclone Phailin, which hit the state’s coast on October 12.

Margareta Wahlstrom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, presented a citation to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the secretariat in Bhubaneswar for fixing the target of “Zero Casualty” during the cyclone.

Patnaik on the occasion said, “The credit for the success of Phailin management goes to the brave people of Odisha who rose to the occasion in spite of all odds and faced the calamity with inspiring courage. I would also like to thank the meteorological department for its accurate prediction of the storm that played a major role in our preparedness. We want to prepare a long term disaster risk reduction plan and climate change action plan for our state and we are now poised to implement it in the coming years.”

“Disaster mitigation is a process towards establishment of world peace. And the citation is also a recommendation of the endeavour of the people’s representatives, the media and the government of Odisha towards achieving that end. I dedicate the award to the people of Odisha,” he added.

The Naveen government had evacuated as many as 9,83,553 people from the coast before the cyclone’s hit at Ganjam Coast of the state.

While as many as 9,885 people had died in the super cyclone which hit Odisha coast in 1999, this time the casualty figure was confined to 21, which is widely recognized as a remarkable achievement.