About Tsunami
The tsunami that struck twelve
nations in the Indian Ocean region was triggered by an earthquake measuring 8.9
on the Richter scale just off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia on 26th
December, 20041. Over several hours, the tsunami - a series of giant tidal waves
–caused severe destruction along miles of coastline. What was unusual about the
Tsunami was that it simultaneously and without any warning, affected several
countries and populations. India was the third most-affected country
after Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Without recourse to international
assistance, India has been able to respond adequately to the disaster, which
damaged the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Pondicherry and the states of Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. On the Indian mainland, Tamil Nadu was the
worst affected state with official death tolls placing the dead at more than
8000 people. It is estimated that nearly 76 percent of those killed on the
mainland were from the southern district of Nagapattinam, the worst affected in
India.
Total Area hectares |
2.7 lakh hectare |
Total Population |
14.88 lakhs |
Urban Population |
3.3 lakhs |
Rural Population |
11.58 lakhs |
Affected Population |
1.96 lakhs |
Fishermen |
87% |
Agricultural Laborers |
5% |
Traders |
5% |
rists/Pilgrims |
3% |
The devastation in Nagapattinam has
severely affected about 80 villages. Many more have faced damage in varying
degrees. Fishing villages dominate this coastal district and nearly 70 percent
of the severely affected villages are fishing villages. Akkarapettai and
Keechankuppam have been the most badly affected villages in Nagapattinam with
over a 1000 affected families. In many villages, the loss of life was estimated
by the number of bodies recovered rather than those dead, as the sea swept
people off one coast and washed their bodies up a different shore.
The scale of damage in
Nagapattinam
The tsunami left around 6065 people
dead and the entire coastline devastated in the district. Around 73 habitations
in 38 Revenue Villages
and 5 Taluks were affected. Out of these, 1776 were children (887 male, 889
females) which is approximately one-third of the total dead and 2406 were women.
The high death toll of children and women highlighted the fact that Tsunami had
caught people unawares. A possible explanation for the high number of deaths
among women was that the tsunami struck at a time when most of them were in the
shore receiving their men folk returning from the sea. Added to this was the
fact that it was a day after the Christmas and a Sunday morning, which had a
large number of people, enjoying the morning breeze. Nagapattinam district alone
accounted for 76 percent of the deaths of entire state and was the worst
affected district in India. In the education front, 41
Elementary/Primary Schools, 2 High Schools and 1 Higher Secondary School were
damaged. On the health side 4 Public Health Centres (PHCs) and one Government Hospital was
damaged.
An overview of the
devastation
Details |
Tamil Nadu |
Nagapattinam |
Percent |
Human Loss |
8018 |
6065 |
76 |
Missing* |
1126 |
791* |
70 |
Cattle Loss |
17404 |
11899 |
73 |
Injured |
3446 |
1922 |
56 |
No. of Person
Evacuated |
4.70 lakhs |
1.96 lakhs |
42 |
|