He was inaugurating a five-day state-level workshop on community based disaster preparedness organised by the Indian Red Cross society here. The state was cyclone-prone, he observed, and the affected people required immediate medical attention. ``Such workshops would go a long way in sorting out these problems,'' he said.

He expressed the hope that the workshop would be held not only at metro levels but also at village and district levels as well. ``It is important that people are prepared for these eventualities at the field levels,'' he said.

In his address, the Deputy Secretary of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Headquarters, S C Goel said that the basic aim behind organising such workshops was to take stock of the disaster preparedness scenario in the country, and Gujarat being cyclone-prone, it was important for the Red Cross volunteers from the state.

He said that the workshop would help volunteers understand basic tactics in coping with disasters.