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Effect Of The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake On India




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DISASTER SNAPSHOT

- After/BEFORE YOU CHANGE THE TABLE, CHANGE THE CASUALTY FIGURE IN THE OPENING PARAGRAPH to reflect the official total
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- (The reason this is important is that this article is quoted as a reference in 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake . The casualty figure in the opening paragraph should therefore match the table total to avoid confusion.)
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AFFECTED STATES AND REGIONS



Andaman and Nicobar

The Andaman And Nicobar Islands comprise 572 islands (all land masses in both low and high tides) out of which 38 are inhabited, both by people from the mainland and indigenous tribes. The islands lie just north of the earthquake epicentre, and the tsunami reached a height of 15 m in the southern Nicobar Islands. The official death toll is 1,310, and about 5,600 are still missing. The unofficial death toll (including those missing and presumed dead) is estimated to be about 7,000.

The Great Nicobar and Car Nicobar islands were the worst hit among all the islands because of their proximity to the quake and relative flatness. Aftershock s continue to rock the area. {Link without Title}
One fifth of the population of the group of islands, some of which have been completely submerged, with the total number of the population still out of contact exceeding 7,000 ( {Link without Title} ).

Among the casualties in Car Nicobar, 111 and Member Of Parliament ) was washed away. The church, established in 1930 was one of the oldest and prominent churches in the region. A Cricket stadium named after John Richardson and a statue dedicated to him were also washed away.

The majority of the population of Andaman Islands is made up of people from the mainland, mostly from West Bengal and Tamil Nadu . The natives of Andaman And Nicobar Islands are endangered tribal groups, such as the Jarawa , the Sentinelese , the Shompen , the Onge and the Andamanese . They are regarded as Anthropologically significant as they are some of the world's most primitive tribes and considered the world's only link to ancient civilisation. Most of these tribes have maintained their aboriginal lifestyle for centuries, and government policy has been to not interfere with them unless absolutely essential.

It is reported that most of the native islanders survived the tsunami because they live on higher ground or far from the coast ( {Link without Title} ). The , the Nicobarese , a Southeast Asian-looking tribe (2001 population of 28,653), have lost about 656 lives with 3,000 still missing. Surveys are being conducted on the Shompen (2001 census count of 398) located on Great Nicobar island.

India's only active volcano, Barren 1, located at Barren Island 135 kilometres (80 miles) northeast of the capital Port Blair , erupted because of increased seismic activity on 30 December , 2004 . People have been evacuated since then and there have been no reports of any casualties. India was highly affected as 700 little boys ang girls lost both of there parents


Andhra Pradesh

The current official toll is 105. The affected districts are Krishna (35 dead), Prakasam (35 dead), Nellore (20 dead), Guntur (4 dead), West Godavari (8 dead) and East Godavari (3 dead).


Kerala

The current official toll is 168. The affected districts are Kollam (131 dead), Alappuzha (32 dead), Ernakulam (5 dead).


Pondicherry

An estimated 30,000 people are homeless in the Union territory of Pondicherry. The current official toll is 560. The affected districts are Pondicherry (107 dead), Karaikal (453 dead).


Tamil Nadu

The state of Tamil Nadu has been the worst affected on the mainland, with a death toll of 7,793. Nagapattinam district has had 5,525 casualties, with entire villages having been destroyed. Kanyakumari district has had 808 deaths, Cuddalore district 599, the state capital Chennai 206 and Kancheepuram district 124. The death tolls in other districts were Pudukkottai (15), Ramanathapuram (6), Tirunelveli (4), Thoothukudi (3), Tiruvallur (28), Thanjavur (22), Tiruvarur (10) and Viluppuram (47).

Those killed in Kanyakumari include pilgrims taking a holy dip in the sea. Of about 700 people trapped at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial off Kanyakumari, 650 were rescued. In Chennai, people playing on the Marina beach and those who taking a Sunday morning stroll were washed away, in addition to the fisherfolk who lived along the shore and those out at sea. The death toll at Velankanni in Nagapattinam district is currently 1,500. Most of these people were visiting the Basilica Of The Virgin Mary for Christmas, while others were residents of the town. The nuclear power station at Kalpakkam was shut down after sea water rushed into a pump station. No radiation leak or damage to the reactor was reported ( {Link without Title} ). About 100 casualties were reported from Kalpakkam, all power plant personnel and their families.


FURTHER METEOROLOGICAL/SEISMIC DEVELOPMENTS

The Indian Meteorological department has warned people in coastal areas to be careful. The seas are predicted to rough due to the after shocks with tidal waves in a few coastal areas. The detailed Met report .

The Indian government issued a fresh tsunami alert across India's coastal areas . This alert triggered panic in some coastal areas , subsequent to which the government had to issue clarifications to calm the people.

The Andaman region is still experiencing aftershocks of varying intensities.
The government has been asked to remain vigilant in light of these after shocks without affecting the relief and rescue operations and normal life.


GOVERNMENT EX GRATIA


HELPING OUT

The following bodies and agencies are seeking public help and contributions:
















INDIA'S ASSISTANCE TO OTHER QUAKE-AFFECTED COUNTRIES


The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, along with the Indian defence forces and Home Ministry, is coordinating relief operations to Sri Lanka , Maldives and Indonesia .


Operation Castor (assistance to Maldives)


Three vessels have been launched for Male.
  • INS ''Mysore'' (two helicopters, reaching Male on 20 Dec 2004)

  • INS ''Udaygiri'' (one helicopter, reaching Male on Dec 29, 2004)

  • INS ''Aditya'' (one helicopter carrying water and a water purification plant, medical teams, reaching Male on 30 Dec 2004)



Operation Rainbow (assistance to Sri Lanka)


  • INS ''Sharda''

  • INS ''Sutlej''



Operation Ghambir (assistance to Indonesia)


  • INS ''Nirupak'' - The hospital ship leaves for Sumatra, Indonesia on 30 Dec 2004. It will be carrying emergency rations, medicines, tents and first aid kits. It will have 10 officers and 240 sailors on board.



SEE ALSO




EXTERNAL LINKS


Tsunami related pages & official sites of affected regions