Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005
Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 |
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Tamil Nadu
By V. Jayanth
CHENNAI, MARCH 29. Monday's late night crisis management had a beneficial spin-off. Never mind the panic it sparked and evacuation of people along the coast. By half-past midnight, when it became clear that there was no fresh tsunami sweeping the Tamil Nadu coast, the State and district administration had completed a mammoth task — ensuring that all precautions were taken in time to save lives and property in the wake of an alert.
Coordinated exercise
According to a top official, the exercise began even before an official warning or alert was issued from New Delhi. "We were happy that people left their homes and the coast far behind, moving to safety. The District Collectors and revenue authorities, along with Fisheries officials and the district administration, were out on the coast, asking the people not to panic and to move to safer places. It was a well-coordinated exercise." It was not just the State administration. The Central agencies, especially the Railways, moved in tandem. All precautions were taken after the alert was sounded. The networking was perfect. Even before the administration acted, people had seen the alert on television screens. Revenue officials moved around in vehicles cautioning the coastal population over the public address system. Women and children picked up their belongings and whatever they wanted to save. Fishermen pushed a few catamarans and boats further into the shore for safety. Some of them picked up sand to find out if there was any difference. Others even smelt sea water and found nothing wrong. "No, this is not a tsunami. The sands and water are clear. We know what it was on December 26, 2004," explained Daniel Thomas, who lives off the Santhome coast here.
Experience helps
It was not only the official machinery, which gained experience these three months after the tsunami. The fisherfolk also had firsthand knowledge of the difference. Both of them put it to the right use late last night. Just as the fishermen's families were leaving their dwellings, the police were out in large numbers in all districts. Every arm of the Government was mobilised in time to be on the spot and ensure the people's safety. Nobody thought it was a mock-drill. The threat was real. A quake, more powerful than what struck on December 26, rocked north Sumatra in Indonesia, with the epicentre deep down the sea. The Centre promptly alerted all coastal States. The officials and the people feel relieved that there was no tsunami. There was palpable tension in the air; fear gripped the people, who fled even a kilometre or more to safety. As the senior official said, "Now that the people and we have seen what a tsunami is and how we should respond to a threat, the response last night was near-perfect. The drills and workshops in the past three months have yielded results."
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