May 6
2140 hrs
Port Blair
The Tsunami of 2004 was quite a disaster for this string of islands. The loss has been immense and the islands are yet to come to terms with it. Loss of life, livelihoods, homes, land, natural wealth... The famed coral life of the Andamans was damaged and destroyed in many parts. The entire archipelago is said to have sunk a metre.
We were on our way back from our days visits to Wandoor beach (not much fun), The rubber estates (informative), and Chidiya Tapu (pic) (a beautiful sunset point on a forest sh
ore, home to many species of birds and lodge to many migratory ones). Subhash Roy, our guide, recounted many of the Tsunami stories as we drove past half sunk houses, some reduced to mere pillars of cement, in the still unreceded tsunami waters in the low lying areas of Port Blair district. Stories of shock, panic, disaster, death, heroism, hope... Subhash's entire village fled to the mountains and stayed up there for nearly 2 months. Refugees survived mainly on coconuts. Dead bodies were piled up and burnt in mass. Who was cremated, who was buried, nobody cared or kept count. Death does not recognise religion, wealth, cast or creed.... Death is impartial and its verdict final.
Strangely, fishermen who were out in the open sea were shocked when the returned to find their villages destroyed. They had no clue of the currents raging kilometers below the ocean surface.... However, it makes sense when you come to think of it. The high waves, we know, are formed when the ocean currents hit the continental shelf and rise up. Out in the open sea, one wouldn't feel anything amiss, except that the sea would be unusually shallow (since the water has risen at the continental shelves). And the shallowness of the sea is hard to guess without at least a landmass at the horizon for reference...
Another interesting fact was that the tribals of Car Nicobar lost no lives even though the island was along the worst hit. The tribals had migrated to higher mountains before the first tremors were felt in the region... So much for the assumed superiority of us civilised ones...
We will be visiting the tribal regions of Jarwa (Middle Andaman) early tomorrow morning. And I mean real early. 3:45 am!
On the bright side, I get to witness a 4:15 am sunrise for the first time ever...... Yes. Thats what time the sun rises here!
2140 hrs
Port Blair
The Tsunami of 2004 was quite a disaster for this string of islands. The loss has been immense and the islands are yet to come to terms with it. Loss of life, livelihoods, homes, land, natural wealth... The famed coral life of the Andamans was damaged and destroyed in many parts. The entire archipelago is said to have sunk a metre.
We were on our way back from our days visits to Wandoor beach (not much fun), The rubber estates (informative), and Chidiya Tapu (pic) (a beautiful sunset point on a forest sh
ore, home to many species of birds and lodge to many migratory ones). Subhash Roy, our guide, recounted many of the Tsunami stories as we drove past half sunk houses, some reduced to mere pillars of cement, in the still unreceded tsunami waters in the low lying areas of Port Blair district. Stories of shock, panic, disaster, death, heroism, hope... Subhash's entire village fled to the mountains and stayed up there for nearly 2 months. Refugees survived mainly on coconuts. Dead bodies were piled up and burnt in mass. Who was cremated, who was buried, nobody cared or kept count. Death does not recognise religion, wealth, cast or creed.... Death is impartial and its verdict final.
Strangely, fishermen who were out in the open sea were shocked when the returned to find their villages destroyed. They had no clue of the currents raging kilometers below the ocean surface.... However, it makes sense when you come to think of it. The high waves, we know, are formed when the ocean currents hit the continental shelf and rise up. Out in the open sea, one wouldn't feel anything amiss, except that the sea would be unusually shallow (since the water has risen at the continental shelves). And the shallowness of the sea is hard to guess without at least a landmass at the horizon for reference...
Another interesting fact was that the tribals of Car Nicobar lost no lives even though the island was along the worst hit. The tribals had migrated to higher mountains before the first tremors were felt in the region... So much for the assumed superiority of us civilised ones...
We will be visiting the tribal regions of Jarwa (Middle Andaman) early tomorrow morning. And I mean real early. 3:45 am!
On the bright side, I get to witness a 4:15 am sunrise for the first time ever...... Yes. Thats what time the sun rises here!
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