Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day is observed every year on October 29, the day on which Super Cyclone hit Odisha in 1999 and killed more than 10,000 people.
On the occasion, the Odisha Chief Minister has launched the Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) and the mass message system to inform people in advance of upcoming calamities.
The EWDS system is the first of its kind automatic public address system in India to alert the people about the possible cyclone, tsunami, etc.