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Nagapattinam
Report
Nagapattinam District was carved out of erstwhile Thanjavur District
on October 18, 1991. Subsequently it was bifurcated in the year 1997.
The district has 147 kms long coastline on the Eastern Coast of Bay of
Bengal. The old port city of Kaveripoompattinam presently called as "Poompuhar"
is an important tourist centre of the district. Apart from this, other
places of interest are Velankanni, Nagore and Point Calimers bird
sanctuary. The "Basilica of our Lady of Health" at
Velankanni, the
Nagore Darga, "Markandeyar" Temple at Thirukadaiyur and fort at
Tharangampadi are the proof of ancient art and architecture.
Vedaranyam, the town where the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi,
initiated the Salt Satyagraha, is located in this district and also an
important centre for salt production. The district is bounded by the
Bay of Bengal in the east, Palk Strait in the south, Tiruvarur and
Thanjavur districts in the west and Cuddalore district in the south.
The district is spread over 2715.83 sq. kms. Nagapattianam is about
250 miles from Chennai.
The team visited the most battered and lost villages of Nagapattanam
district. Apart from Nagapattanam, they visited Nagathopu, Nambiyar
Nager, Keechankuppam, Akkaraipatti. In the same area, another 47
villages in the coastal line was also affected. They found that these
villages were totally washed out. Their interview with the survivors
and affected family, they were told that on 26.12.2004 morning at 9.15
AM, monstrous curling and twisting tidal waves of at about forty to
fifty feet height struck them. The sea water was black with much mud
dashing fast on the seashore. On seeing the unusual speed and pace of
the waves, peoples started running helter shelter. Many drowned,
dragged and hammered by the waves. After a lull, there was another
giant wave came fast and washed away people, houses, fishing vessels,
boats and even demolished even concrete houses. The iron concrete bars
are the scars now for these villages. Within minutes, the beauty of
the beach is marred by the marauding waves. Many got major and minor
injuries. They are all now hospitalized and those with minor injuries
are now in relief camps. Being Sunday, many children played in the
beach and women were also assembled for selling the fish. They were
swept away. The villagers told that nearly 12000 persons in
Keechanakuppam and 600 families in Nambiyar Nagar and 12000 people in
Akkaripatty and 300 families in Nagathoppu were victims of the tsunami
waves.
But only five thousand people have been sheltered in the relief
camps. They said that nearly fifteen thousand people must have
drowned in to the sea. Mostly, children and women were affected more
in this tragedy. The local people rescued dead bodies and
burnt/buried. On 26.12.2004 food and water was supplied only by local
people. NGO’s from Nagapatinam and neighboring districts of Trichy
and Tanjur did tremendous relief work. In these villages, electricity
and water supply were cutoff. Four hundred patients in government
hospital were also dragged in to the sea. The Food Corporation of
India go-downs was fully damaged. The deaths crossed 15000 as per the
local people’s version. But there is no proof, as most of them were
missing.
The Government machineries entered in relief work from 29th
of December 04. All government departments were in full swing. Relief
assistance from all sides trickled up. Government started giving
Rs.
4,000/- to each family, sixty kg of rice, three liters kerosene, three
liter of oil, apart from mat, clothes and bed sheets. Food supplied
three times in the relief camps.
Voluntary work in Nagapattinam
The two representatives of AID took part in the survey of
deaths, missing persons, those in need of medical help and the worst
affected families through the NGO Coordination Committee in
Nagapattinam. They also counseled some of the worst affected youth and
men to withstand the shocks caused by tsunami waves.
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