Kerala - Alappuzha   

People return home as tsunami threat recedes

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, MARCH 29. After a night of panic following tsunami warnings in the wake the earthquake that occurred near Sumatra Island in Indonesia, people in the coastal panchayat of Arattupuzha in the district who had left their homes returned to their abodes today.

The Alappuzha District Collector said the district administration has, however, asked various departments to maintain vigil though the alert had been withdrawn.

Panic

The warnings of a possible tsunami strike appeared on various television networks by 10 p.m. last night. It sent people of the panchayat, especially Perumpally, Tharayilkkadavu and Valiyazheekkal wards of Arattupuzha, which were devastated by the tsunami on December 26 last, scurrying for safety.

The Arattupuzha panchayat vice-president, Lata Mohandas, told The Hindu the panchayat members contacted the local police station following the warnings. There was no official announcement asking the people to vacate their homes. But the police arranged some vehicles to transport people to safer areas, she said.

Evacuation

Mrs. Mohandas said the two ferry services operating in the Kayamkulam Lake between the panchayat and the mainland was pressed into service in the night to transport people. The panchayat is an island in the form of a narrow strip of land with the Arabian Sea on one side and the Kayamkulam Lake on the other.

The panchayat president, P.N. Viswanathan, said that in addition to ferry services, private boats in the panchayat were also used to transport people to the mainland. He said that the schools and offices of various coir cooperative societies on the mainland were opened to accommodate people. Almost all of them returned to their homes in the morning, said Mr. Viswanathan.

Panchayat demand

He said the Government should take steps to enable the panchayat seek the help of the Coast Guard for evacuating people in the time of crisis. He demanded that the construction of the bridges across the lake between the panchayat and the mainland promised by the Government start immediately. At present the only bridge connecting the panchayat with the mainland is at the northern end. Mr. Viswanathan said the roads of the panchayat, which were damaged in the last tsunami strike, must be repaired immediately to enable easy movement of people during such crisis.

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