What should a community do in order to be prepared before every flood season?

List simple do's and don'ts in the event of tremors or an earthquake.

List the steps in preparing for a cyclone.

Source: United News of India
Hundreds Feared Killed as Cyclone Devastates Odisha Coast
Several hundred people were feared killed as the super cyclone with a velocity of more than 260 kph battered 10 coastal districts of Odisha for more than eight hours today. The state government called in the army and the air force to help carry out relief and rescue operation. "You cannot imagine the devastation. More than 200,000 houses have been destroyed and vast tracts in the coastal areas submerged," Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang told the United News of India on telephone. He also spoke to Defence Minister George Fernandes to send in troops, air force helicopters and transport aircraft. All the 10 affected districts remained cut off from the rest of the country with power supply and telecommunication links cut off. According to initial reports, heavy damage has been reported in the affected areas. Road links in certain areas have been cut off. The cyclone hit Paradip port this morning at a speed of 260kph. The diameter of the cyclone was very big and all nine coastal districts of Odisha were affected badly. The storm of rare intensity left petrified residents fearing for their lives in the capital and the thickly populated areas along the coast. Massive loss of life and property was feared, but a clear picture will emerge only after the storm abates.
The hardiest of trees fell to the ferocity of the gales, which swept away much of what came in their way. Torrential rains continued to lash the capital city, which is about 65 km from the Puri coast. The flat terrain along the coast allowed the strong tidal waves to reach far inland without obstruction. The cyclone stormed Bhubaneswar at around 0830 1ST. The gale speed had touched a howling 260 kph by 1500 IST. Telephone and electricity poles snapped like matchsticks, leaving the telecommunication network in shambles. Power breakdowns plagued the affected areas with little prospects of early restoration of supply. The air traffic control tower in Bhubaneswar reportedly suffered damage, leaving little scope for early resumption of air traffic. Fallen trees blocked the roads and the highway between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The army moved in to provide immediate relief. Two signal attachments were flown in with INMARSAT terminals to re-establish telecommunication links. Electrical and mechanical engineers of the army are already trying to restore power supply.
Huts and other fragile structures collapsed, forcing the inmates to seek shelter in temples and schools. Tidal waves rose two-storeys high, breaking embankments at Talachua in Paradip and Erasama. Large parts were inundated in the coastal areas. But details were not immediately available. Ships had been taken off the harbour. Several buildings, including the state secretariat complex, were damaged. Eyewitnesses said no tall tree was standing in the entire city anymore. Old-timers said they had never seen such devastation.
The building housing the UNI offices in the heart of the city was among the structures damaged. It forced the agency to shut down its cornputerised news operations. The only means of communication available was the telephone line, which also threatened to go off anytime.
Full details of the havoc wrought by the cyclone are yet to come in, but it was feared to have left a ghastly trail, especially in the coastal areas. Meanwhile, the railways cancelled 14 passenger and mail trains scheduled to run in the cyclone-affected areas.
Question:
In your view, what preventive actions could Odisha have taken to reduce the damage caused when the Super Cyclone struck?

Suggest measures to prevent damage from frequent flooding.

Read the following newspaper reports.
Assam Several embankments on the main Brahmaputra River have been breached, with water engulfing more than 600 villages. About 30,000 hectares of crops were also submerged. All rivers in Assam are flowing at dangerous levels threatening several new areas, officials said. The eastern district of Dhemaji was among the worst affected by a breach in the embankment, with at least 250000 people stranded by the rising waters.
Uttarkashi Heavy monsoon rains have triggered flash floods in parts of northern and western India. A cloudburst that hit nearby Uttarkashi district created a torrent of muddy water that swept away at least six villages while flowing down the mountains, said D.K. Gupta, from the state control room.
Maharashtra Flooding in the western state of Maharashtra where a few cases of cholera have been reported close to Mumbai.
Himachal Pradesh More than 100 people were reported to have died in flash floods in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh earlier this week. The river Sutlej, which runs through the state, was reported to have risen to more than 40 feet above it's not level in some places.
Bihar Water from two of India's biggest rivers-the Brahmaputra and the Ganges-has engulfed thousands of villages. According to some estimates, nearly half a million people have been made homeless in the northern states of Bihar and Assam.
Identify the states and areas that are vulnerable to floods by the following rivers:
(i) Brahmaputra
(ii) Ganga
(iii) Sutlej

List ways to conserve water in day-to-day use.

What actions will help us to mitigate drought individually as well as collectively?

What do you understand by 'rainwater harvesting'?

What simple Do-s and Don't-s can you list in case of a biological disaster?