Team Reports |
The Andaman & Nicobar IslandsTom Belton — Ottawa, ON
During this year’s Chennai Sleeping Children Around the World [SCAW] distribution we delivered bedkits to children at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal to the east of Chennai. Rotarians there shared their shocking yet fascinating stories with me. “December 26th, 2004, started out for me like any other day. I was up at 6 am preparing morning coffee for my family, when I suddenly heard the wind chimes outside my home ringing. Strange, I thought, because there never is any wind at this time of the morning. When I went to check my wind chimes, I saw them dancing wildly. That is when the earthquake struck. The next few minutes were beyond my deepest imagination.” So began that fateful day for Dinikar, a local entrepreneur, with businesses located in both Port Blair and in the Nicobar Islands. He recalls those horrible moments as if they had occurred just minutes before we spoke. He told us that the first jolts were rough and violent. His first thought was to evacuate his family from their structural concrete home as quickly as possible. Collapse would have meant certain death to all. Dinikar, his wife, and daughter escaped into their side yard. They vividly remember the wild jostling as the earth heaved violently beneath them and they sought distance and safety from their home. Next door a five-story apartment building was swaying back and forth before their eyes. They were afraid it might collapse into their backyard covering them all. Every tree and building they could see, was wildly swaying. Moments like this dull the sense of time. Some people have estimated the quake shook up to ten minutes. In fact, the official time was around two minutes — the longest two minutes of their lives. When the earth finally rested they surveyed the damage and saw that their home had suffered very little structural damage. There were broken dishes, cabinet drawers were ajar, and walls had cracks. Though electricity and telephone service was off they had not even one broken window. In Port Blair, only one building collapsed. The rest were largely intact and there didn’t seem to be any loss of life either. However, close to one hour later, the initial tsunami hit their shores. Moments before the first wave, water started appearing out of inland fissures and spouting out of the ground. With the initial waves, water rose rapidly into areas that had never seen water before. The force and size of the waves pushed the sea water over all low areas covering land and dwellings. First floors of low-lying buildings were simply swept clean of all that stood in their way. Because Port Blair faces north, its topography is mountainous, and it is buffered by surrounding islands, it was spared the devastation and destruction suffered further south. The water damage was confined to infrastructure and property damage, most of which has been repaired. We visited areas that were mainly low lying with water still in place and some abandoned homes. Where trees once stood, only the stocks of the once lush palms were left. It reminded me of areas in our country flooded by beavers, the trees silent gaunt sentinels, a testament to what once was healthy growth. The violent earthquake tilted the whole Island Archipelago 1.5 metres lower in the south and approximately 1.5 metres up in the north. Areas that were formerly land are underwater, while areas of new land have formed in other places. I also heard from Devraj, an Insurance Adjuster from Port Blair who accompanied the first flight of Government Officials to fly over the devastated Nicobar Islands on January 4th.
His pictures, some of which are attached, give testament to the heavy loss of life and utter destruction wrought by the tsunami in the Nicobar’s. He had the dubious duty to accompany the first Government survey to the Nicobars after the incident. This area was not anywhere as fortunate as the Andaman’s. Because of the remoteness and low profile topography, this area suffered great loss of life and property. The Nicobar Islands, located South of the Andaman’s, forms a loose federation together. Much of these Islands are Tribal areas, purposely, kept remote by the Indian Government. Many of the Tribes have little or no contact with the outside World, living much the same as they have for generations. It is impossible for even Indian Citizens to get into these areas without express permission from the Government. Also, an Indian Airforce Base is located here, adding to the secrecy of the Islands. No one goes here. On January 4th, Devraj attended a briefing meeting before boarding a helicopter, accompanied by other government officials, to perform an initial inspection of the damage. Not much had been heard from this area to this point.
Devraj recounted that they were also affected by the violence of the earthquake. Just before the first tsunami wave, the water retreated back into the sea leaving huge areas exposed. Fish were flapping, shells and debris were evident, piquing people's curiosity. Many rushed out to the exposed areas to experience this phenomenon even though folklore told them that anytime the water disappears, head immediately to higher ground. From the sea came a strange “whirring” sound. It was eerie and frightening as no one had ever heard a noise like this before. The water turned black in colour, not the bright clear azure, normal colour. The first wave swept in without mercy, sweeping all before it, including those who so foolishly ventured into the exposed areas. They didn’t have a chance. The wave pushed into inland areas where water had never reached before. The smart ones raced for their lives seeking higher ground, when they first saw the water coming. Some, who went into their dwellings to retrieve family valuables, were trapped. Where a second floor was available, up they went to escape the first wave. The second wave was not as serious largely because of the backwash from the first wave countering it to some extent. But it forced those in dwellings to go higher.
Again, those who could, escaped to a third floor thinking they would be safe. When the final wave hit, it topped 47 feet in height, easily sweeping all before it. It covered three-storey buildings; it easily covered palm trees; and when it receded, nothing was left behind — trees, buildings, not a trace of what used to be there only minutes before — all disappeared along with the lives of those seeking shelter. Pictures taken from above as well as on the ground showed utter devastation and destruction. Nothing was immune. Interestingly enough a small Hindu Temple located along the shoreline survived intact. The locals considered this a miracle. The first glimpses of the massive death and destruction below, left Devraj very fragile. He readily admits that it took him several months after, before he could even be tempted to eat food. This was the epicentre of the loss of life and the suffering of the people. Those who survived, suffered for months after, with the sounds of the “whirring” that the seas made just before the first tsunami waves came in. The children were particularly haunted with this as they tried to sleep at night. Children in the area may never forget that horrible day, but they may sleep more soundly with their new bedkit gifts thanks to Sleeping Children’s donors. |
