Cyclone Amphan, which tormented much of West Bengal and parts of Odisha, came across as a timely lesson for upgradation of infrastructure in rural areas and underscored the need for states to accord top priority to disaster governance, NDRF chief SN Pradhan said. Pradhan said extreme natural events are going to be more frequent now with the changing climate, and the only way to save more lives and reduce damage to property is through disaster-resilient infrastructure, especially in the coastal belts.

Super cyclone Amphan was a timely lesson that we cannot take chances anymore. Villages have to make cyclone- resistant structures, even if they are hutments for the poor, especially in coastal areas. Housing schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana should incorporate cyclone-resistant designs. Another serious requirement is underground electrification in rural and coastal locations. I know it might not be cost effective but no technology is so to start with; you have to push for it, the director-general of the National Disaster Response Force told PTI in an interview. A total of 86 people died and lakhs were rendered homeless as the cyclone cut a swathe through half-a-dozen districts of West Bengal, including state capital Kolkata, on May 20.