Managing Disasters in a Compounding Scenario: A Case of Adaptive Governance in the State of Odisha, India

The study presents the success story of adaptive governance in managing compounding disasters. Adaptive governance helps address the challenges of compounding disasters through its approach, which entails flexibility, collaboration, and continuous learning. Odisha, one of the disaster hotspots states in India, has faced the wrath of many disasters, but the devastation caused by Super Cyclone 1999, which killed around 10,000 people, has been the most severe. Since then, the Government of Odisha has set an example to other states and countries to emulate its disaster management model. This article explores the success case of the Government of Odisha in dealing with compounding disasters through its adaptive governance model. The method consists of a desk review of its disaster management policies for the state and on-field discussions with a wide array of stakeholders ranging from government officials, international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), people representatives and communities for understanding measures, processes followed, and governance and its disaster model. The implications of this research will help other developing countries learn and replicate Odisha’s success story in dealing with compounding disasters.