29th December 2004.

Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness of me and the people in India.  It is true that the water has not reached inland towns or cities and normal life was not affected. But right now I am travelling in Nagapattinam district and able to see the extensive picture of this horrible tragedy.  There is a huge death toll, which is far more than the official figures. Many villages have disappeared.  People were least prepared for this horror and mostly the poor people are washed away.   Kerala , Andhrapradesh, Tamilnadu, Pondicherry and Andaman Nicobar islands are among the affected area in India.

We did not know tsunami. Normally we have seen rain, heavy rain, cyclone and people know how to take safety measures. But when there was sunny Sunday morning, the life was normal and children on Christmas holidays mostly playing near the sea in the coastline area. They are taken unaware of this huge tragedy. There is widespread death and wailing all over coastline and it takes our hearts. We are totally shattered and broken in our hearts.

Also we have 27 girls in the fold of INTACT Sponsorship scheme living in coastline villages. Of them 15 are sponsored by Swedish friends and others were waiting for help. We have identified 19  children already being safe in Maruvathur village and we hope and pray that other children are safe and not among affected. We have connections to women groups in villages in Nagapattinam district near Tranquebar namely Thandavankulam, Koolaiyar, Maravamedu, Thirumullaivasalal, Manikam pangu, Velipalayam, Poovam, Keelakasakudi, Akarapattu.  Among them we trained a women group in Akarapetai village on self-help techniques.  This village has been washed away now!!!  It looks that we will not see them again.

The situation is grim. It is the most horrible tragedy the poor mass of coastal areas have ever faced  for the past 40 years. There are people who lost all their children, relatives, house and properties and stranded with shock, despair and helplessness. The official machinery could not cope up with this situation.  There are questions like what is next? The next danger is Cholera and epidemics.  There is a question of damage about Nuclear Power Station in the coast not far away from Mamallapuram.

Our staff and volunteers have travelled far and wide in this area with relief materials, medicines and cash to organise food or any other help needed on the spot.  INTACT has announced that we are ready to adopt Girl Children who have become orphans and homeless from this tragedy.  In response to the horrible tragedy INTACT is launching a relief campaign. I appeal to our friends to respond to this call and contribute with possible help.  Let us do our best to help the people who are battered and survived by this great calamity to start a new life.

Thomas Ebenezer

CHENNAI

Picture of a group of young victims

Her sons had gone out fishing and her daughter was near the beach when the tsunami struck Chennai coast yesterday. Her hut was flooded and the receding waters took away most of her belongings. The concrete floor sinks as one walks on it. "Why has the sea left me alone? Why did it not take me also," she asked

one of the mass burials/mass cremation at the background

A mass burial of hundreds of bodies took place on the municipal graveyards at Velipalayam here, at Velankanni, Nagore and also on Nagapattinam-Velankanni Road. Huge pits were dug and about 100 bodies, which were brought in municipal lorries dumped there. They were then closed. Relatives just handed over the bodies to the district administration for burial. Nearly 900 bodies, which were brought to the Nagapattinam Government hospital till this morning were removed immediately and sent for mass burial. Instructions were given to the officials to bury the bodies in the respective areas and not to bring them to the hospital. All the bodies were handed over to the relatives without post-mortem. Most of the bodies could not be identified.

Fishermen have borne the brunt of the waves in the district. Dozens of their colonies were swept away without trace as the giant waves turned into watery graves for the men who eke out a living by the sea.

some of the dead recovered by some fishermen

Seruthur, a fishermen's colony about a km from the Velankanni shrine, is one such settlement, which has disappeared. The tsunami has wreaked havoc on Nagore, Keechankuppam, Akkarapatti, Velankanni, Seruthur, Vedaranyam and Poompuhar.  Most of the villagers still do not know "who has lost who in the family." There is no word on the fishermen who ventured into the sea early on Sunday morning.  Relief agencies are yet to reach the village. "We have no shelter, no water and of course, no food," says a local fisherman.  A few policemen stood guarding the corpses. A medical team, which reached the village, did not have much to do. They took count of the bodies piled up in front of the primary health centre.

Please contact the following addresses when you want to contribute:

Join us in helping the people who are battered by this great tragedy. 

Director, INTACT