The round-the-clock updates on cyclone Fani by the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) State Centre at the Secretariat won accolades from the Odisha government, which conveyed its gratitude for helping it in preventing human toll and mitigating property damages by giving timely and accurate advisories.
Odisha had sought the assistance of RTGS in cyclone preparedness, as part of which alerts were disseminated to the Chief Secretary of that State and Collectors of affected districts through an exclusive WhatsApp Group. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam too praised RTGS for its continuous alerts.
According to an official release, a battery of officers led by the RTGS CEO Babu A. maintained continuous vigil right from April 26 when Fani took shape as a low-pressure area and rapidly transformed into an extremely severe cyclonic storm.
Scientists at RTGS-AWARE (AP Weather Forecasting and Early Disaster Warning) have since kept a close watch on the direction and speed at which Fani moved and came up with the forecast that it would make the landfall at Puri in Odisha. Regular alerts have been sent from the mandal-level to the Collectors and officials of all coastal districts, especially those in the north coastal belt.