Fishermen wake up to a normal day and
resume routine life
Most vendors and fishermen had a
sleepless night on Wednesday
— Photo: V. Ganesan
.
CHENNAI: Leisure and business were back to normal on the Marina Beach
on Thursday, a day after a general tsunami alert was issued, leading
people to move out of the area. Snacks stalls, trinket sellers and
tourists returned to the beach while flute sellers hawked their wares
and swimmers took a dip in the ocean.
Members of the public started trickling in, shaking fears and enjoying
their usual fresh air along the sands.
Most of the vendors and members of the fishing community however, spent
a sleepless night on Wednesday wondering if it would be business as
usual tomorrow.
“We thought we would lose everything. I left the stall as it was and
went away,” said a snack stall-owner, who preferred anonymity. Some
wheeled their shops to safer locations, but most on the beach had to
leave their shops and leave the area.
“I was worried all night. But what could we do? We have to save our
lives first,” said M. Amudha, tapioca chips seller said. She was one of
the first on the beach early on Thursday morning to check if her cart
was safe.
Weaving nets and taking their boats out to sea, the fishermen resumed
their routine. Though they had been asked to evacuate the area on
Wednesday evening, most of them remained in their dwelling units near
the beach. “We watched the water. We decided to leave if it seemed
dangerous. But nothing happened, so we stayed at home,” S. Sathish, a
fisherman, said.
Though worried about their boats, they had no choice but to leave them
and go. Many watched the news to check if another warning was issued
and on finding none, headed out to the sea, another fisherman S. Stalin
said.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/14/stories/2007091459750300.htm
Copyright
© 2007, The Hindu.
