Kohima: The Nagaland Government’s annual Nagaland Emergency Preparedness Exercise (NEPEx) was conducted across the state on Thursday. The exercise was led by the Nagaland Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) and collaborated with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). This year, the exercise aimed to see the preparedness for a major earthquake in the region.
The exercise followed the simulation of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on the Richter Scale with the epicentre near Changtonga in the Mokokchung district of the state. Teams across the state reacted in their own capacity towards mitigating the disaster as well as the search and rescue measures that followed during the exercise. The exercise took place at five locations in the capital Kohima, with similar exercises taking place in other parts of the state as well.
Mentioning that this annual exercise is conducted to assess and increase the preparedness to handle emergency situations in the state and the coordination between various departments, NSDMA adviser Z Nyusietho Nyuthe expressed gratitude to all participants for their engagement. "This drill was a vital exercise to test our preparedness," he said, highlighting its importance in developing effective emergency response strategies.
NDMA’s lead consultant Maj Gen (retd) Sudhir Bahl aplauded the professionalism and enthusiasm displayed during the drill. He said that improvements were necessary for community response integration and the development of coordinated disaster management plans between municipal and military agencies. He also highlighted the need for enhanced awareness of available resources, especially from armed forces, and proposed regular conferences for civil engineers focusing on disaster response.