How L&T's early warning system helped evacuate 1.2 mn during Cyclone Fani

Developed by L&T's Smart World & Communication Unit, EWDS has a unique architecture.

When the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani was inching towards coastal Odisha in late April this year, the state administration undertook one of the biggest evacuation operations ever conducted in history. An estimated 1.2 million people were evacuated from vulnerable zones in the state’s coastal districts such as Puri and Ganjam, greatly minimising the loss of lives.

Much of this was possible owing to the robust communication network and early warning system that Odisha had set up with the help of engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

Thanks to L&T’s Early Warning & Dissemination System (EWDS), which went live in