Quake mock drill at Nurpur hospital

To commemorate the devastating earthquake that struck Kangra district on April 4, 1905, a mock drill was conducted at the Civil Hospital, Nurpur. The event took place last evening and was jointly organised by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire Department, and the Police Department. The primary objective was to raise public awareness and enhance preparedness for natural disasters.

During the drill, various disaster management techniques were demonstrated, and hospital personnel, including medical teams, received hands-on training in rescue operations. The mock scenario involved the creation of artificial earthquake conditions, under which dummy victims were rescued by teams from the NDRF, fire services, and police. These “victims” were then swiftly transported to the hospital for emergency treatment, simulating a real-life disaster response.

Assistant Commandant of the NDRF unit in Nurpur highlighted the importance of ensuring the safety of rescue teams along with victims during any disaster response. He emphasized the need for every building structure to have a disaster management plan in place, which can significantly ease rescue efforts during actual emergencies.

Nurpur SDM Gursimar Singh and DSP Vishal Verma supervised the drill. They noted that such exercises play a vital role in strengthening the response capabilities of emergency services while also educating the public. “Since Kangra lies in seismic Zone-5, which is highly earthquake-prone, conducting mock drills and spreading awareness is extremely crucial,” said the SDM.

The drill was also a tribute to the lives lost in the 1905 Kangra earthquake, one of the deadliest natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh’s history. The quake, measuring 7.8 on the surface-wave magnitude scale, had its epicentre near Kangra city in the Western Himalayas. Despite the region’s sparse population and fewer buildings at the time, over 20,000 people were killed and nearly one lakh buildings across Kangra, McLeodGanj and Dharamsala were destroyed.

Such drills not only help in building disaster response capabilities but also ensure community readiness in the face of potential natural calamities.