[1] It was established as the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority by a resolution of the Department of Finance of the Government of Odisha on 28 December 1999, as a response to the death toll and damage caused by a 1999 supercyclone.

[4] Prior to establishment of the authority, emergency management in Odisha was not a specialised function, and was handled by the district administration.

Due to lack of coordination on various organisations and departments, rescue and relief works were severely hampered, resulting in a death toll of about 10,000.

The authority is operationally organized into the following divisions: As the apex body, the authority is mandated to carry out and plan for disaster management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters.

[18] The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority has proved its efficacy with its commendable performance during various disasters hitting the state of Odisha.