Kendrapara, June 21: It was 6am at the coastal village of Pitapata when the deafening call of a siren threw the people off bed. A tsunami warning through a public announcement system reminded them of an impending danger to their life and property. It took around 10 to 15 minutes for the residents to gather at the multipurpose cyclone shelter in the village.

Although this was a mock drill, residents of Pitapata village, including women and children, made it a point to observe the drill from close quarters.

"We were thrilled to come across the alertness on part of the people. Villagers in these coastal pockets have developed the mindset to successfully counter natural calamities. It was a perfect display of disaster preparedness involving local communities that are vulnerable to cyclone and Tsunami strikes," said Mahakalpada tehsildar Nila Madhan Bhoi.

The administration had planned to organise disaster preparedness mock drill in collaboration with the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (Odraf) and local voluntary organisations. We had decided not to inform the residents about the drill in advance. The objective was to test the degree of preparedness people have. The village was selected for the drill, as it's extremely vulnerable to tsunami and cyclone. It's good to see people rising to the occasion by rushing to the cyclone shelter following the tsunami warning, an administration official said.

Such drills aim to train people on how to tackle natural calamities. Volunteers herded people to cyclone warning shelters. People had a practical experience of the dos and don'ts during an emergency, said local sarpanch Suvadra Behera.

"We are always scared of cyclones, tsunamis and floods. So, it is a better proposition to move to safer place. Why should we wait for the government to act? The mock drill was also a learning experience for us," said Artatrana Choudhury, a local resident.

"The 1999 cyclone has taught us not to ignore weather warnings. Whenever there is a forecast of depression and stormy weather, fishermen stay away from sea voyages. People here have made it a point to relocate to the cyclone shelter," said Pabitra Mallik, another local resident.

Having paid the price for ignoring the '99 cyclone warning, people from coastal pockets have grown strikingly vigilant since then. Preparedness to face calamity have spread from the grassroots level, said another official.