The scare is back now; the Marina is
totally free from the usual hustle and bustle; fishermen in deep water.
The aftermath of alert: An aerial view
of the Marina Beach, which had hardly any visitors on Wednesday
evening. (Right) The usually busy stretch of the beach near
Srinivasapuram wears a deserted look.
CHENNAI: For the fisherfolk of areas such as Nochikuppam, Pattinapakkam
and Srinivasapuram along the Marina, Wednesday’s general tsunami alert
brought back unpleasant memories of the tsunami in December 2004. Even
after the alert was withdrawn later in the evening, they remained
apprehensive. Almost the entire stretch along the Marina seemed
deserted and off-colour.
“We have not recovered from the previous tsunami yet and the thought of
one more has made us nervous. Many of our relatives have gone to safer
places, away from the beach,” said Udayakumar, a fisherman in
Nochikuppam. The police had instructed the fishermen not to venture out
into the seas till further instructions. However, many fishermen like
him said they would decide only at about 2 a.m., when they usually
leave.
A resident of Pattinapakkam S.Devaraj said: “At about 6 p.m., our
neighbours told us we needed to vacate. But we plan to stay on the road
till midnight to be safe.” Mr. Devaraj recalled that he escaped the
wrath of 2004 tsunami as he was fishing in deep sea. But many other
families living near the shores were seen leaving for the relatives’
houses elsewhere in the city and suburbs.
The Meteorological Department sounded a tsunami alert on Wednesday
evening and passed on the information to the police department, which,
in turn, deployed members of the Swift Action Force (SAF) along the
shore and ensured that the vendors and visitors to the beach left
immediately.
Commissioner of police Nanchil G. Kumaran told The Hindu that adequate
police personnel were posted along the Marina to alert people there.
Police were seen patrolling the area on horses, cars and on foot. They
had received the message from the Commissioner’s office at about 6 p.m.
Officers present at the scene said it was a difficult task making the
people move out, as the beach is packed with visitors at that time of
the day.
Some of the approach roads to the beach were blocked using barricades
to prevent entry of vehicles.
Suresh Kumar, a balloon seller near the Kannagi statue, had meagre
sales. “I usually make about Rs.50 a day, but today it has been
terribly low, following the tsunami alert.” The 22-year-old said he was
ready to run, the moment he saw huge waves.
Peanut and puffed rice vendor Sivamurthy said he pushed his vehicle
somewhere near the main road, fearing a tsunami. “Police men alerted us
earlier this evening. I came here near the bus stand, hoping to find
more customers, but found very few,” he said, quickly packing steaming
boiled peanuts in what was once a colourful page of a magazine.
Corporation’s role
The Chennai Corporation did its bit to pass on alert messages in zones
along the coast, using loud speakers mounted on autorickshaws. It made
arrangements to keep a hundred of its schools open to ensure
availability of safe shelters in the event of a tsunami.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/13/stories/2007091358440300.htm
Copyright
© 2007, The Hindu.
