Joint Chief Executive Officer of the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Johnny Ruangmei, on Wednesday stressed that preparedness must remain Nagaland’s foremost priority as the state faces increasingly intense weather events driven by changing rainfall patterns.
Referring to the recent disaster that triggered widespread landslides and flash floods in several districts, Ruangmei said the severity of the situation was caused not merely by the total amount of rainfall received, but by the intensity with which it occurred over a very short period.
He explained that Mon district recorded about 130 mm of rainfall, a quantity that, in previous years, would typically have been distributed over nearly a week. This time, however, the same volume of rain fell within a much shorter duration, resulting in rapid surface runoff, significantly increasing the risk of landslides, flash floods and other rain-induced disasters.
According to Ruangmei , more than 11 landslide sites have been reported across Mon town, while multiple landslides have also disrupted highways and road infrastructure in several parts of the state. He said engineers and field teams from the Public Works Department (Roads and Bridges) are working round the clock to clear blocked roads and restore connectivity as quickly as possible.
Providing an update on the disaster situation, he said Mon and Longleng remain cut off, while extensive damage has also been reported in Kiphire, Tuensang, Shamator, Noklak, Wokha and Mokokchung, including Mangkolemba, Alongkima and Tuli.
According to the official, nearly every major road in the state has been affected by landslides or flood damage.
Ruangmei noted that damaged roads have severely hampered disaster response operations. The lack of road connectivity has prevented the deployment of additional search and rescue personnel, including teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other State Disaster Response Force units. Adverse weather conditions have also made helicopter operations unsafe, further complicating relief and rescue efforts.
He announced that Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio has convened a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) , where members would consider a proposal for the development of the Nagaland Resilience and Future-Ready Infrastructure and Economy Framework.
According to Ruangmei, the proposed framework is expected to become the guiding blueprint for the state’s future development and disaster preparedness initiatives.
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Ruangmei cautioned that localized heavy rainfall and other extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent and more intense in the coming years. In view of this, he stressed the importance of building climate-resilient and future-ready infrastructure capable of reducing disaster risks and strengthening the state’s resilience against the impacts of climate change.
He further stated that relief assistance has been extended to all affected districts, with the authority strengthening coordination to ensure aid reaches those in need.
He said the government has issued a Relief Coordination Order, designating NSDMA officers to oversee and coordinate relief operations across the state.
The official added that several private organisations and agencies have approached the NSDMA to contribute relief materials in kind. The authority is coordinating with these agencies and district administrations to ensure that donated supplies are routed to the areas where they are most needed.
However, he acknowledged that delivering relief remains a major challenge due to severe weather conditions.
“By road, we are not able to deliver. By choppers, we are not able to deliver because of the weather conditions,” he said, noting that damaged roads and poor flying conditions continue to hamper relief efforts.
Despite these challenges, he said the state’s pre-monsoon preparedness has helped prevent shortages of essential commodities. He recalled that Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio had convened a pre-monsoon preparedness meeting, during which essential service departments, including the Food and Civil Supplies Department, were directed to maintain at least three months’ stock of essential commodities, particularly during the monsoon season.
According to Ruangmei these preparedness measures have proved crucial during the current disaster, ensuring that affected areas have continued access to essential supplies despite widespread disruptions to transport and logistics.
Issuing an appeal to the public, he urged residents living in landslide-prone areas to take weather warnings seriously and evacuate immediately whenever heavy rainfall alerts are issued.
“If there is a heavy rainfall warning and people know they are living in a landslide-vulnerable area, the safest course of action is to evacuate and move to a safer place until the weather stabilises,” he said, stressing that timely evacuation can save lives during extreme weather events.
ELIONA Supercomputer boosts weather forecasting
Ruangmei said state’s ELIONA Supercomputer has significantly improved the accuracy of weather forecasting, enabling authorities to issue timely alerts ahead of the recent extreme weather event.
He said the orange and red weather alerts issued on the evening of July 18 were generated using ELIONA’s advanced weather modelling capabilities.
“One of the foremost contributions of ELIONA is the much more accurate weather prediction that we have today,” he said.
Looking ahead, the official said the NSDMA plans to develop a native Large Language Model (LLM) dedicated to climate and disaster risk analytics using the supercomputer. While ELIONA itself will not be accessible to the public as it is used for high-performance modelling, citizens can benefit through the Safer Nagaland App, which provides location-based weather alerts and early warnings.
He urged residents across the state to download the app and subscribe to their respective locations to receive regular weather updates and emergency alerts.
Ruangmei said at present, Nagaland has only one landslide monitoring sensor, but additional sensors would be installed in the future. He said the NSDMA is working with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) on a pilot project for rainfall-based landslide early warning systems in Chümoukedima, Kohima and Peren. Once testing is successfully completed, the system will be expanded to other vulnerable districts.
Fund crunch
The NSDMA official revealed that the authority is still awaiting the release of this year’s State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) allocation. Despite financial constraints, he said the department has maintained an emergency corpus and continues to respond with the resources currently available.
Responding to criticism over disaster response, he said the NSDMA is doing everything possible despite the scale of the disaster and limited resources.
“Many people think we are not doing enough, but we are trying our level best to respond whenever people need us,” he said.
Search operations continue in Mon district, where teams are still trying to locate victims buried under landslide debris.
The official said the operation remains extremely challenging due to unstable terrain and persistent rainfall, which continue to trigger fresh landslides and pose serious risks to rescuers.
He explained that while the NSDMA possesses specialised equipment, including life detectors capable of identifying signs of life beneath debris, such devices cannot detect those who have already died, making recovery operations even more difficult.
He said Nagaland currently has 240 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, and the government is considering raising a dedicated SDRF battalion to strengthen disaster response capacity. He also noted that the NSDMA and District Disaster Management Authorities together have more than 90 technical and professional officers, many of whom serve on contractual appointments. The government is exploring the possibility of creating permanent positions to strengthen institutional capacity.
He added that SDRF units across the state have been equipped with collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) equipment, flood rescue gear and first responder medical kits. However, he noted that every disaster presents unique challenges, requiring continuous enhancement of response capabilities.
Appealing directly to the public, the NSDMA official urged residents to closely follow weather warnings and safety advisories issued by the authority throughout the monsoon season.
He advised people living in landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rainfall, and, whenever possible, travel only during daylight hours because of the risk of falling rocks and fresh landslides.
The official also cautioned against sheltering under trees or near electric poles during thunderstorms, urging people to remain inside concrete buildings or vehicles during lightning. He further advised communities, particularly farmers, to avoid staying overnight near riverbanks or paddy fields during periods of heavy rain due to the heightened risk of flash floods.
He stressed that public awareness, preparedness and timely adherence to official warnings remain the most effective measures for preventing the loss of life during extreme weather events.
