GENERAL GENERAL TSUNAMI TSUNAMI INFORMATIONINFORMATION

• What a TSUNAMI is... • A tsunami (pronounced TSOO-NAH-MEE) is a wave

train, or series of waves, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that vertically displaces the water column. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and even the impact of cosmic bodies, such as meteorites, can generate tsunamis. Tsunamis can savagely attack coastlines, causing devastating property damage and loss of life. A tsunami can also be called "seismic sea wave", because they're similar to seismic waves but travel through the ocean instead of through land.

What does "tsunami" What does "tsunami" mean?mean?

• Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation, "harbor wave." Represented by two characters, the top character, "tsu," means harbor, while the bottom character, "nami," means "wave." In the past, tsunamis were sometimes referred to as "tidal waves" by the general public and as “seismic sea waves by the scientific community.

How do earthquakes generate How do earthquakes generate tsunamis?tsunamis?

• Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the overlying water. Tectonic earthquakes are a particular kind of earthquake that are associated with the earth's crustal deformation; when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the water above the deformed area is displaced from its equilibrium position. a tsunami can be created.

Tsuna-mis may reach a Tsuna-mis may reach a maximum vertical height maximum vertical height

onshore above sea level, often onshore above sea level, often called a run-up height, of 10, called a run-up height, of 10,

20, and even 30 meters.20, and even 30 meters.

DISASTER DISASTER MANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

The cuddalore The cuddalore experienceexperience

--Anu gerogeAnu geroge

• Cuddalore is a large industrial town. It has a large number of industries that employ much of the citys population. The district of Cuddalore was heavily damaged by the tsunami waves. Several fishing hamlets simply disappeared. M.G.R Thittu, Pillaimedu,Kannagi Nagar, Chinnavoyi are completely washed away. At several places in Cuddalore district, huge waves burst water pipelines disrupting water supply, and in other places the seawater incursion made both surface and ground water saline and importable. Fishermen, prawn/crab and fish seedling farm owners, fish transport owners, ice-manufacturing units, all sufferd loss of income. Horticulture activities in Cuddalore were also affected.

• A score years ago cuddalore, in tamilnadu, was so beautiful By past seven years ago back it has prone to natural disasters of one kind or the other one of the most backward district in the terms of social indicatorsthe district which accustomed to many times to the fury of cyclones and floods “the tsunami experience of 26th December 2004 was no other like…”The tsunami left 618 dead in cuddalore. Live stock loss was put at 24 lakh, a area of 517.7 Hectares of land rendered saline worth nearly 300 cores was destroyed. The terrible tragedy scarred the lines of over 97000 people and thousands are home less in matter of minutes.

IMMEDIATE RESCUE AND IMMEDIATE RESCUE AND RELIEF OPERATIONSRELIEF OPERATIONS

• The tsunami had stuck on Sunday morning at around 1:00A.M to 3:00 AM that too on a Sunday following Christmas

• Hospitals has be made ready to attend to the thousands being brought in dead or a live

• Doctors also had to deal with thousands of people who had come in such of their lost relatives or friends

• The first thing is that we arranged the public announcement system • The next job was to mobilize food and water for nearly 24000 people with

the help of voluntary bodies by 3:30 P.M in most areas • December 24th morning all the bodies were photographed individually

before the burial fore further identification Purpose.• The burial was an important task for two reasons: for controlling the out

break of diseases and for ensuring faster and smother relief operations.

RELIEF CENTERS:RELIEF CENTERS:• Many of the people shelters less, the fury tsunami was

such that . the most of the relief camps were opened up immediately were housed in the wedding halls of the district. A round 38 centers were setup for the refugees. Medical camps were also setup and had at lest one visit from a team of doctors every day, with the help of volunteers supplied sintex tanks and cooked food and water supply to all relief centers every team of the volunteers showed leadership qualities and gave the phone numbers and attended the programs with out any delay.

THE RESTORATION OF CIVIC THE RESTORATION OF CIVIC AMENITIESAMENITIES

• It also important to the restoration of civic amentias such has power and water supply in the villages

• Police patrolling had to be introduced to prevent thefts and any untoward happenings

• With the support of NGO’s, the desalination plants based on reverse osmosis were setup in this area

• 170 shallow bore wells were dug in the other places to facilitate regular supply of water

COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS• Control rooms are established; HAM radio

operators helped us in this process. The top officials are helped with mobile phones, this eased the channels of communication and helped us to no end in tackling SOS calls

MASS CLEANINGMASS CLEANING • It was there fore important to cleaner the Villege to lend

a semblance and normalcy.• It was also vital move in the control of epidemics and

diction of dead bodies and car cases • The WHO warned that more people would die of

epidemics rather than of the tsunami • We started massive exercise to disinfect the relief

centers and the villages, using bleaching powder, lime and phenyl

COMMUNITY KITCHENSCOMMUNITY KITCHENS • Nearly 7085 people fed in the 23 community

kitchens across the district for over a month • Officers in charge were asked to provide a

daily report of the provisions required for the next day. So as to ensure that the food supply was never disrupted

HANDLING RELIEF METERIALSHANDLING RELIEF METERIALS • From second day relief materials started pouring in from all

directions • By computerized inventory with the help of two volunteers who

had come from banglore made it easy to track the materials.• Old clothes for in stance, was in excess and causing a

problem; these stopped coming after the lists were circulated to the coordinating agencies. Doctors and medicines were channelised department of health.

• The donators who routed the materials through the administration were given as official’s acknowledgement for a materials. The corporations of the police was sort and coupon system evolved. We had to avoid incidents like the one where an NGO distributed 50 packets of vegetable biryani in a relief center and that housed one thousand people

HEALTHHEALTH • 23 teams comprise both government and private doctors were mobilized for

the medical camps • Sum of the fingers were participated in operations carried out in the health

sector are: • 80117 people were given medical attention • 437 people were treated as in-patients • 9373 doses of vaccines were given • 17000 typhoid vaccines were mobilized through the voluntary sector• To ensure some kind of continuity in the process, people were trained to

carry the program forward

AGRICULTUREAGRICULTURE • In our district, about 517 Hectares of land was

rendered saline • The administration mooted for an enhanced

compensation package for the farmers • This was the important as in many places the

farmers had already watered the land in the hope of planting next crop, without being aware of the consequence of their action.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRYANIMAL HUSBANDRY• In a disaster like this, it was

natural for animals to be left stranded in the villages. There was the likelihood of dead animals remaining un attended to.

• 20109 animals were vaccinated and a large number of animals treated for various illnesses.

CHILDRENCHILDREN• We was felt that play therapy would be the best healer. This was the huge

success and we followed it up with 68children’s parks in the other coastal villages. With the universities such as the Bangalore university. A number of volunteers were trained under the certificate programmes to take the good work forward.

• The government home opened for the tsunami orphans also received special attention. Schools and colleges where these children could go to were identified in the fastest possible manner and were provided with books and bags as well. Immediate steps were also undertaken to reopen the schools as early as possible.

SHELTERSHELTER• Temporary shelters had to be put up on a war footing as it was

inevitable that the relief centers would soon shut down.• A large number of temporary shelters were put up with the help of the

voluntary bodies and the rural development department.• The sanitation needs of the rehabilitated were met with the help of

voluntary agencies.• Cuddalore came in for a lot of praise all quarters for the way the relief

operations were handled.

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION• Disasters both natural and manmade expose the

most vulnerable sections of society to grave danger. It is believed that the effects of natural disasters are related to the poverty levels of a society: it is often the poor who bear the brunt.

• We all know natural disasters such as hurricanes, flood, earthquakes, tsunamis, epidemics or uncontrolled fire are common in any society or community.  Knowing how to react in such a situation is everyone's responsibility.  Everyone should be familiar with this information for his or her own safety.