Cuddalore takes a lead in tsunami reconstruction - NIDM

DISASTERS DISASTERS UPDATE
UPDATE
www.nidm.net Issue No.551 Date:26.12.06
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
National
• Cuddalore takes a lead in tsunami reconstruction
• Permanent shelters in north Chennai in two months
• Tsunami-hit villages in Pudukottai, Thanjavur to get Internet connectivity
• Thousands of Tsunami survivors still homeless
• Tsunami-hit villagers refuse to occupy houses
• Tsunami rehabilitation has some successes,
• Rs.1,079 cr. spent for tsunami relief and rehabilitation: Collector
• Second anniversary of tsunami to be observed in Nagapattinam
• Long wait for houses continues in Puducherry
• `Flood problem will be a thing of the past'
International
• Tsunami survivors in Asia struggle to carry on
• 'Extreme contrast found in ozone losses at Poles'
• Floods, landslides kill at least 80 in Indonesia
• Asian nations remember those killed in tsunami
• 24 die in fire in Philippines department store
• Earthquake measuring 5.8 strikes Kyrgyzstan
• Moderate quake jolts central Japan
• Powerful storms hit Florida
Cuddalore takes a lead in tsunami reconstruction
The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
— Photo: T. Singaravelou
HAPPY DWELLING: New houses for the tsunami affected people in
Chinnurpudupettai in Cuddalore district.
Building a Disaster Free India

Two years down the line, Cuddalore stands out in Tamil Nadu as a district that has not
only matched, but even surpassed its goals set to build back better after the tsunami.
Be it in reconstruction activity — housing, or livelihood rehabilitation, the district seems
to have taken a lead in performance and achieving results in a short span of time.
But to get the right picture, it's essential to travel back in time, to the sequence of events,
after December 26, 2004.
A relatively small district, but with a coastline of 57.5 km along the Bay of Bengal
(comprising 51 hamlets) that was affected by the tsunami, Cuddalore, it became
apparent in a few days after December 26, probably suffered damage only second to
neighbouring Nagapattinam.
A total of 610 people died, including 214 children, 214 others were injured, 38 went
missing and on the whole, 99,704 families were affected in one way or the other.
According to Cuddalore Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi who has been at the helm of
the short, medium and long term recovery efforts in the district, over 517 hectares of
agricultural and horticultural land was rendered unusable and saline by the tsunami
waves.
Over 5200 boats were fully damaged and over 1000 boats partially damaged in just one
day.
Immediately after the tsunami, the district administration set up 38 relief camps to
provide shelter, food and water to the affected in the coastal villages.
Mobilising food and water had to be done simultaneously with the process of evacuating
villagers, performing mass burials and ensuring that there were no serious infectious
diseases and outbreaks. Once these tasks were initiated, the administration had to
simultaneously address the issue of building temporary shelters to house the fishermen
and their families.
The long-term measures included building permanent houses for the fisherfolk, a task
that was taken up on a war footing. Some 2300 new houses had to be built, over 100
acres had to be acquired for the purpose and the houses had to be designed with the
consent of the community and provided basic electricity, water and sewerage facilities.
Today, in the district, over 4000 houses have been built with the help of a large number
of NGOs, the State extending assistance to non-fisherfolk, including Dalits and the Irula
tribes as well.
Educational infrastructure has been rebuilt, schools and orphanages being spruced up
thanks to the intervention of agencies like UNICEF. The fisherfolk are back in business
and measures have also been taken to wean their families from their dependence on the
sea. Self-help group women have been trained in other trades and encouraged to seek a
living from practicing them.
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But Mr.Bedi still thinks there are miles to go before the district can rest.
Weekly meeting with the NGOs and the funding agencies continue with the Government
in order to ensure co-ordination and avoid duplication.
Having built back better, he believes that this is essential to see that things stay that
way.
Ramya Kannan
Permanent shelters in north Chennai in two months
Sandhya Soman, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
Chennai Collector directed to finalise the list fast
PHOTO: M. VEDHAN
WORK IN PROGRESS: Permanent shelters coming up for the tsunami-affected at
Tondiarpet.
CHENNAI: The Government will allot permanent houses to those displaced by the
December 2004 tsunami from the north Chennai coastal belt by February 2007, said
C.V. Shankar, officer on special duty (Relief and Rehabilitation).
Mr. Shankar on Monday told The Hindu that the Chennai Collector has been directed to
go on fast track with the list-making so that allotments could be made in a transparent
and fast manner.
The multi-storeyed tenements are fast nearing completion at Tondiarpet on a five-acre
plot, donated by Hindustan Lever.
Residents agitated
Residents of the temporary shelter at Ernavoor, who were looking forward to moving to
the new houses, were agitated on Monday when Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board
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(TNSCB) officials reportedly told them that they would be accommodated on a plot at
Ernavoor itself.
According to senior officials, the confusion could have resulted from the fact there are
only 1,392 houses at the Tondiarpet settlement.
The number of beneficiaries is close to 2,000 and only less than 1,000 occupy the
temporary shelters in Ernavoor.
They said the tsunami-affected were approached for making a blueprint for constructing
more shelters at the proposed plot for the rest of the beneficiaries.
However, the officials made it clear that rest of the allotments for the tsunami affected
would be made only after accommodating the Ernavoor settlement residents at the
Tondiarpet tenements.
Tsunami-hit villages in Pudukottai, Thanjavur to get Internet
connectivity
M. Balaganessin, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Tuesday,
Dec 26, 2006
PUDUKOTTAI: A dozen village information centres functioning in the tsunami-hit coastal
villages of Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts will get Internet connectivity on December
26, coinciding with the second anniversary of the tragedy.
The Novib Netherlands, the Netherlands-based organisation for international
cooperation, has sanctioned a sum of Rs.2 lakh to each of the centre to provide the
infrastructure that includes a computer and a wireless tower for the network under its
`information and communication technology for poor' project.
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The centres were set up by the Dhan Foundation, Pattukottai, at Keezha Kudiyiruppu,
Pudhukudi, Kottaipattinam, Ayyanpattinam, Meemisal, R. Pudupattinam and Muthukudi,
in Pudukottai district and Maavakadu, Eripurakarai, Mallipattinam, Sedubavachathiram
and Somanathanpattinam, in Thanjavur district.
The Project Executive of the Foundation, G. Satishkumar, told The Hindu here on
Sunday that apart from the Internet facility, the fishermen would also have access to
video conferencing, weather reports, local market network on fishing trade in these
villages.
"Each centre will be given about six global positioning system (GPS) equipment for
assisting fishermen adopting the conventional method of fishing," he said.
Using the GPS, a fisherman would be able to locate the net left by him in the waters to
catch fish a few days earlier. "Although experienced fishermen will be able to locate the
net, it will not be an easy job for young traders. The GPS will help the fishermen identify
the spot accurately, through the details of the latitude and longitude", he explained.
The facilities will be launched at the villages simultaneously at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Thousands of Tsunami survivors still homeless
Chennai, Dec. 26 (PTI): Two years have passed since the tsunami disaster, but
thousands of survivors are yet to return to their normal lives in coastal areas of Tamil
Nadu, mainly due to the inordinate delay in allotment of permanent houses.
Though the government and NGOs acted swiftly on various fronts in the aftermath of
the December 26 2004 tragedy, progress had been slow with regard to rehabilitation,
particularly in providing proper dwellings, say survivors.
According to official statistics, around 37,000 permanent houses for the survivors are
yet to be made in the state.
In the worst-affected Nagapattinam district, construction work for 18,600 houses by the
government and various agencies started in March 2005, but only 6,168 of them have
been handed over to the beneficiaries.
The situation is almost the same in adjacent Cuddalore district. Among 2,393 houses
ordered for construction by the Tamil Nadu government, only 1,703 have so far been
completed.
According to district officials, site identification took a long time. And when sites were
identified, survivors found them less convenient and wanted them to be located
elsewhere.
Life in the temporary shelters has been 'painful' for the survivors for the past two years.
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"They call these dwellings temporary shelters, but life in these dwellings has caused
permanent problems to our health," says Senthil of Tarangambadi in Nagapattinam
district, where construction work started only a few months back.
"Ever since we came to the shelters, we have been suffering from serious ailments.For
the past few months,we have been hit by mysterious fevers. Hundreds of people have
received treatment," says Kannan, another survivor.
According to Selvi of Nagapattinam, mosquito bites, poor sanitary conditions and heavy
rains have wreaked havoc in their lives.
Many people who have received permanent shelters are not happy either.
"The houses are too small. The bathrooms are too dingy. We feel as if we are staying
inside a jail complex," says another survivor Vailankanni.
Most permanent houses in Cuddalore district, each costing Rs 1.50 lakh, have a
covered area of less than 325 square feet
However, the situation is not that dismal with all the survivors. Those in Nagore's minitowns,
set up by the Mata Amritanandamayi Mutt, say they are happy in their new
houses.
But administrations of the tsunami hit districts are confident of putting life of the
survivors back on track soon.
Nagapattinam District Collector Tenkasi S Jawahar said that the works were
progressing at a rapid pace and were expected to be completed before May 2007.
However, despite the inadequacies in the housing sector, the tsunami-hit areas of the
state have registered growth in other spheres like education, livelihood, productivity
through Self Help Groups and infrastructure facilities.
Most fishermen have become proud owners of fibreglass boats, replacing traditional
catamarans. The government as well as the NGOs have liberally donated such boats.
Women in the coastal blocks also have made good economic progress through
activities like manufacture of leather articles, pickles, bricks, tiles, incense sticks and
palm-leaf articles under SHGs.
Children in the fishing enclaves now have greater access to modern learning facilities
with many multinational companies and other organisations setting up schools and
institutions, providing high quality education.
Electronics major Samsung has started a school at Chinnagudi in Nagapattinam, while
Sri Sri Ravishankar's International Association for Human Values has set up an
integrated education complex, offering schooling, vocational training and computer
education at Anaikoil.
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SOS Children's Villages of India and the UNICEF have contributed substantially for
improving facilities in the schools of tsunami-hit villages.
"In the pre-tsunami era, we had never heard of an English medium school. Now the
situation has changed and our children are getting English education", says Perumal, a
fisherman of Chinnangudi.
Under the Rs 151.71 crore-World Bank fund for infrastructural development, provisions
have been made for potable water, roads, school buildings, health units, power supply
and sanitation facilities in most of the areas.
Tsunami-hit villagers refuse to occupy houses
Staff Reporter, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Tuesday, Dec
26, 2006
Government failed to build houses for all, say fishermen
PUDUCHERRY: Residents of Pannithittu, a coastal village near here, have refused to
move into the permanent houses, though they were handed over to the tsunami victims
on December 13 last year.
The fishermen have avoided moving into the 98 houses, saying that the Government
had failed to build houses for all victims. "We need about 460 houses. We told the
officials that it was not possible for some to move into the new houses and others to stay
in the old ones. If only a few of us are given the houses, it could create trouble among
us," K. Devanathan alias Manjini, leader of fishermen in the village told The Hindu .
He said the Government was also not clear on the distribution of the houses. Pattas had
been issued only to seven beneficiaries so far, he added.
"It was not possible for us to distribute, as it would only create hatred among us," he
added. From the beginning, the villagers were of the view that the process of
rehabilitation should be taken up for everyone affected at the same time.
Tsunami rehabilitation has some successes,
Ramya Kannan, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Tuesday, Dec
26, 2006
Government says 35 per cent of the task of providing shelters is complete Government
says 35 per cent of the primary task of providing shelters is complete
State Government, with the help of the Centre, has provided Rs. 784.5 crore
Rs.74 crore has been utilised from the World Bank and Rs.89 crore from Asian
Development Bank
State Government, with the help of the Centre, has provided Rs. 784.5 crore
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Rs.74 crore has been utilised from the World Bank and Rs.89 crore from Asian
Development Bank
CHENNAI: Over the last two years, Tamil Nadu has been busy picking up the pieces
and rebuilding societies devastated by the tsunami.
Though there is no report card at the end of these two years, there have been some
successes, some drawbacks and certainly, lessons to learn.
The waves that smashed several coastal districts — Chennai, Tiruvallur,
Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tuticorin,
Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Pudukottai and Villupuram — left at least
8,000 dead. Over 10 lakh people were directly or indirectly affected.
It is said the largest number of 370 villages affected were located along the vast Tamil
Nadu coast.
Several of these habitations were flattened; those who were fortunate to live had lost
close relatives, their homes, boats and all belongings.
The relief work started swiftly, but the challenges of rehabilitation, short-term and longterm,
proved great. Shelter and habitat development formed a large part of the tasks,
with 91 of the total buildings damaged being schools.
The entire communities had to be rebuilt from scratch; water sanitation and hygiene had
to be ensured for all.
Educational infrastructure had to be rebuilt. The affected, especially children, had to be
given counselling.
To get the economy moving again, the means of livelihood — fishing and allied trades,
agriculture and horticulture — had to be restored; disaster management systems had to
be put in place.
At the same time, sustainable development had to be ensured. Tasks that, by their scale
and diversity, could not be performed by the Government alone.
When helpwas solicited, assistance — incash and kind — poured in, with local, national
and international non-governmental organisations pitching in.
According to C.V.Shankar, Officer on Special Duty, Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation,
the State government, with the assistance of the Centre, has provided from its coffers
Rs. 784.5 crore.
About Rs.74 crore has been utilised from World Bank funding and Rs.89 crore from the
Asian Development Bank.
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As it takes stock, the Government says that 35 per cent of the primary task of providing
shelters is complete.
A bulk of the work — establishing physical connectivity and better schools, providing
water and sanitation to all and making sure the communities are ready to face disasters
— is yet to be completed. Since development is a continuous process, the tasks must
continue and sustained attention should be paid to the rebuilding process.
Rs.1,079 cr. spent for tsunami relief and rehabilitation: Collector
Special Correspondent, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper,
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
Nagapattinam: Nearly Rs.1,079 crore has been spent by the Government, non-
Governmental organisations (NGOs) and through financial assistance from World Bank
and Asian Development Bank for carrying out tsunami relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction activities in the last two years in the district, said the Collector, Tenkasi S.
Jawahar, here on Monday.
Talking to presspersons on the eve of the second anniversary of tsunami disaster that
claimed 6,065 lives in the coastal areas covering the five taluks of Sirkazhi,
Tharangampadi, Nagapattinam, Kilvelur and Vedaranyam, the Collector said that about
4,000 permanent houses would be handed over to the tsunami victims during the
ensuing Pongal festival. He said that more than 2,000 permanent houses had already
been handed over to the affected persons in the district.
Mr. Jawahar pointed out that it was decided to construct 18,634 permanent houses in 76
locations in the district of which about 6,000 houses had so far been constructed and the
remaining under various stages of construction. Forty-eight NGOs have been entrusted
with the task of constructing 16,829 houses and 1,805 houses would be built by the
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (1,020 houses) and through the Rajiv Gandhi Tsunami
Relief Package Fund (785 houses), he said.
The Collector said that the NGOs had already provided relief to the tsunami victims,
including free supply of more than 2,500 new fibreglass boats with engines and fishing
nets, to the tune of Rs.79 crore. The NGOs were now spending nearly Rs.354 crore for
various rehabilitation works, including construction of permanent houses for the tsunamihit
families in the district.
The district got assistance, including Rs.101 crore from the World Bank, Rs.152 crore
from the Asian Development Bank, Rs.192 crore from the Central Reserve Fund for
tsunami reconstruction activities in the district.
He pointed out that the district administration had acquired about 603 acres of land
(private, temple, Government poromboke and donated lands) at a cost of Rs.30 crore
and provided to the NGOs free of cost for construction of permanent houses in 79
locations in the district.
Second anniversary of tsunami to be observed in Nagapattinam
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Special Correspondent, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper,
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
Lt.Governor to hand over houses to tsunami-affected in Karaikal
Nagapattinam: The second anniversary of tsunami disaster will be observed in
Nagapattinam on Tuesday.
The Minister for Dairy Development, U.Mathivanan, along with the Collector, Tenkasi
S.Jawahar, the Nagapattinam MP, A.K.S.Vijayan, and MLAs will pay homage to those
killed in the tsunami attack two years ago on December 26.
The Minister and others will place wreaths at the tsunami memorial at the Collectorate at
9.17 a.m. and then proceed to various places, including children's park at New Beach,
Keechankuppam and Velankanni and place wreaths and pay homage at the memorials.
The Chamber of Commerce has organised a function to establish a park near old bus
stand here in memory of tsunami victims.
Karaikal
The Lt.Governor of Pondicherry, Mukul Miti, will visit Karaikal in the Union Territory of
Puducherry on Tuesday to pay homage to the tsunami victims.
The Lt.Governor will also hand over nearly 200 permanent houses to the affected
families.
The Collector, Sudhir Kumar, MLAs and officials are expected to participate in the
second anniversary of the tsunami attack to be observed here on Tuesday.
Long wait for houses continues in Puducherry
Rajesh Nair, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Tuesday, Dec 26,
2006
A majority of the victims live in their old houses, and some in temporary shelters A
majority of the victims live in their old houses, and some in temporary shelters
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WORK APACE: Houses being built for fishermen at Veerampattinam in
Puducherry. — Photo: S. S. Kumar
PUDUCHERRY: The tsunami victims' long wait for permanent houses continues even
two years after the tragedy.
A majority of the victims still live in their old houses and some of them in temporary
shelters built where their homes once stood.
The Government proposed to construct 7,567 houses for fishermen in 15 coastal
villages of Puducherry and 19 villages in Karaikal.
As of now, the Government has completed only 1,101 houses. These too have been
built by several non-governmental organisations and Project Implementation Agency,
which the administration floated for rehabilitation.
Unoccupied
However, 98 houses built by the Uttaranchal-based Project Hope India Heritage
Research Foundation at Pannithittu here and handed over on December 13 last year
remain unoccupied. The villagers refused to move in, as the total number of houses
needed was 460.
"Steps are being taken to speed up the process," said G. Theva Neethi Dhas, Collector
and Additional Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation.
As for permanent rehabilitation, he said another 3,787 houses were nearing completion.
A visit to the villages showed at least 1,500 units were ready for occupation.
The Government had also come out with a solution to rehabilitation of people in seven
coastal villages along East Coast Road and near the town, he said.
Relocation of people
The process of relocating the people in the seven villages had run into trouble, what with
differences of opinion between the victim's families and the host population and the nonavailability
of land in the urban area. So, the Government decided to financially assist
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the villagers by handing over the cost of construction to the victims. "Once the
construction of these houses begins, permanent rehabilitation will enter the final stage,"
he said.
The Government had acquired 100 acres at Puducherry and 150 in Karaikal for
permanent rehabilitation.
Flow of funds
As far as the fund flow, the Government had received Rs. 100 crore last year, and
another Rs. 120 crore this year under the Tsunami Reconstruction Programme of the
Planning Commission.
This was besides Rs. 185 crore approved by the World Bank under the Emergency
Tsunami Reconstruction Programme.
`Flood problem will be a thing of the past'
Special Correspondent, The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper,
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
Floodbanks for Nagavali, Vamsadhara at a cost of 310 cr
Minister visits areas like Balaga and Hayathinagar
Tenders to be called next month
Srikakulam: Minister for Revenue Dharmana Prasada Rao on Sunday said that with a
view to ensuring permanent protection to people from recurring floods in Nagavali and
Vamsadhara rivers, flood banks would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.310
crores.
The Minister, who visited areas like Balaga, Hayathinagar and Buravilli, where flood
banks were required, recalled the hardship faced by people because of absence of flood
banks and asserted `that hardship will be a thing of past'.
Estimates had already been finalised and tenders would be finalised some time in
January next. Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who had seen the damage
during his visits, was keen on ensuring protection from recurring floods.
He said while the Vamsadhara project was taken up with an estimated cost of Rs.930
crores, other projects in the district like Thotapalli and Madduvalasa were being
executed with estimated costs of Rs.450 crore and Rs.50 crores respectively. Never in
the past had such huge amounts been spent on irrigation projects in the district.
Stone-laying
The Chief Minister would lay foundation stones for the flood banks next month. Work on
flood banks would not be possible for about four months when rivers were in spate.
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Works on Vamsadhara and Nagavali flood banks, however, were proposed to be
completed in two years, the Minister said.
Later participating in the consumers week celebrations at Bapuiji Kalamndir here, Mr.
Prasada Rao wanted consumer forums to dispose of cases expeditiously.
This would create confidence in the forum among consumers, the Minister added.
He also stressed the need for creating awareness among consumers about various
aspects, especially consumer rights. Bagadi Ramamohana Rao, president of the forum,
presided over the meeting.
Tsunami survivors in Asia struggle to carry on
Associated Press
Bali, December 26, 2006
Thousands of people fled beaches in one of Indonesia's largest-ever tsunami drills on
Tuesday, kicking off remembrances across Asia two years after devastating waves
crashed into coast lines and killed 230,000 people.
Elsewhere, survivors and mourners marked the anniversary by visiting mass graves,
lighting candles along beaches, observing a moment of silence and erecting warning
towers in hopes of saving lives in the future.
Some volunteers were replanting mangroves, saying they were key to protecting coastal
communities.
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that ripped apart the ocean floor off Indonesia's Sumatra
island on December 26, 2004 spawned giant waves that fanned out across the Indian
Ocean at jetliner speeds, killing people in a dozen countries and leaving millions
homeless.
Entire villages were swept to sea in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, luxury resorts and fishing
communities submerged in Thailand and thousands of homes destroyed in southern
India — where commemorations were small and subdued.
A dozen fishermen watched gulls circle overhead in one hamlet early Tuesday, staring at
the sea and telling stories about villagers who died.
"Ever since the tsunami, my brother has done nothing but drink," said Nagarwali, 42,
pointing to a man who lost his wife and three children in the waves.
The drill on Indonesia's resort island of Bali -- which involved real-time warnings sent
from the capital to radios along the beach -- was as much about raising awareness as
testing technology deployed in the country hardest hit two years ago.
Nearly 167,000 of those killed were from Aceh province -- hundreds of kilometres from
Bali -- where tens of thousands of people still live in temporary homes.
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Sirens wailed as masses, many of them school children, briskly walked inland from the
shore, accompanied by Indonesia's minister of research and technology and a handful of
foreign tourists.
"The biggest challenge is working with the people to make them aware," said German
geologist Harald Spahn, who is helping Indonesia set up its alert network.
"It is a really complex job that many people underestimate."
Underscoring his point, a woman selling baked corn on the beach refused to budge.
"I'm not going anywhere," said Wati. "I still have to make some money this morning."
In Thailand, ceremonies will be held along the Andaman coast with Buddhist prayers to
remember more than 8,200 killed.
Balloons will be launched and candles lit along beaches once again filled with sunseeking
tourists.
But as authorities prepared to open a cemetery for hundreds of unidentified tsunami
victims, a new scandal emerged.
The United States and six other Western nations said as much as 60 per cent of the
US$1.6 million set aside to help identify those who died may have been misused, an
unnamed US diplomat was quoted as saying in The Nation, an English-language daily
published in Thailand.
The money appears to have gone toward travel and other miscellaneous costs, he said,
calling for an investigation.
In Sri Lanka, the resurgence of a civil war has added to the misery of survivors and
slowed efforts to rebuild -- sparking criticism from outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, who urged Tamil Tiger rebels and the military to lay down their arms.
"No one could have prevented the tsunami's wave of destruction," he wrote in a
statement.
"But together, we can stem the tide of conflict, which threatens once again to engulf the
people of Sri Lanka." Temple bells chimed to mark the exact time the first wave hit
followed by two minutes of silence to remember the 35,000 people killed.
And, looking to the future, officials also erected the first of 100 coastal warning towers.
In India, where another 18,000 are believed to have died, interfaith ceremonies were
being been held and in Malaysia, where 69 people were killed, volunteers were
replanting mangroves.
The 2004 tsunami generated an unprecedented outpouring of generosity, with donor
pledges reaching some US$13.6 billion (euro10.31 billion), but many of those homeless
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complain they are stuck with poorly built structures that leak, are termite-infested or
located in flood zones.
Corruption has also marred the process, with several non-government organisations
forced to delay projects or rebuild homes after contractors and suppliers ran off with the
funds.
'Extreme contrast found in ozone losses at Poles'
Press Trust of India
Chicago, December 26, 2006
A new study shows just how dramatic the ozone loss in the Antarctic has been over the
past 20 years, compared to the same phenomenon in the Arctic.
The study found "massive" and "widespread" localised ozone depletion in the heart of
Antartica's ozone hole region, beginning in the late 1970s, but becoming more
pronounced in the 1980s and 90s.
The US government scientists who conducted the study said on Monday that there was
an almost complete absence of ozone in certain atmospheric air samples taken after
1980, compared to earlier decades.
In contrast, the ozone losses in the Arctic were sporadic, and even the greatest losses
did not begin to approach the regular losses in the northern hemisphere, the researchers
said.
"Typically the Arctic loss is dramatically less than the Antarctic loss," said Robert
Portmann, an atmospheric scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration in Boulder, Colorado.
Scientists have been tracking the expanding ozone hole over Antarctica for some 20
years now.
In October, NASA scientists reported that this year's hole is the biggest ever, stretching
over nearly 11 million square miles.
In Antarctica, local ozone depletion at some altitudes frequently exceeded 90 per cent,
and often reached up to 99 per cent during the Antarctic winter in the period after 1980
compared to earlier decades, the researchers said.
In the Arctic, the losses occasionally peaked at 70 per cent, and some losses of 50 per
cent were seen in the mid 1990s, when temperatures were particularly low, but the scale
and scope of the problem was much less than what was seen in the Northern
Hemisphere.
Floods, landslides kill at least 80 in Indonesia
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Reuters
Jakarta, December 25, 2006
Floods and landslides in Indonesia's Aceh and North Sumatra provinces have killed at
least 80 people and forced tens of thousands to flee to higher ground, authorities in the
region said on Monday.
Aceh, still feeling the devastating effects of the 2004 tsunami, was hardest hit. Ridwan
Sulaiman, head of social affairs in the province, said the death toll was now 42, although
the figure could go higher as rescuers reach more remote villages.
Authorities said an estimated 42,000 residents had been driven from their homes by the
floodwaters.
Most of the damage was in Aceh's Tamiang district, on the northern tip of Sumatra
island.
Floods killed 17 people, with almost 50,000 made homeless, in neighboring North
Sumatra province, officials said.
Landslides triggered by the rains killed another 21 in the province's Muarasipongi district,
Hashim Nasution, deputy mayor of Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra, told Elshinta radio.
Nasution said local residents had just returned to their homes after fleeing last week's
earthquake.
"We are still trying to locate more people. We received a report that at least four people
are still missing in the area," he said.
Authorities have blamed heavy rains as well as the effects of deforestation for the
destruction.
Lack of adequate forest cover leaves the ground less able to absorb excess water.
Sulaiman said some of the waters in Aceh had begun to recede, leaving behind thick
mud that complicated rescue and aid efforts.
The Bener Meriah regency was cut off and authorities were awaiting a helicopter to
survey the damage, he said.
He said the government and aid organizations had sufficient supplies of food, tents and
medicine but transport capable of reaching remote areas remained a problem.
Almost exactly two years ago, on December 26, 2004, Aceh was hit by the Indian Ocean
tsunami, which left some 170,000 dead or missing in the province.
Asian nations remember those killed in tsunami
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Bali, Indonesia, Dec. 26 (AP): Thousands of people fled beaches in one of Indonesia's
largest-ever tsunami drills Tuesday, kicking off remembrances across Asia two years
after devastating waves crashed into coastlines and killed 230,000 people.
Elsewhere, survivors and mourners marked the anniversary by visiting mass graves,
lighting candles along beaches, observing a moment of silence and erecting warning
towers in hopes of saving lives in the future. Some volunteers were replanting
mangroves, saying they were key to protecting coastal communities.
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that ripped apart the ocean floor off Indonesia's Sumatra
island on Dec. 26, 2004 spawned giant waves that fanned out across the Indian Ocean
at jetliner speeds, killing people in a dozen countries and leaving millions homeless.
Entire villages were swept to sea in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, luxury resorts and fishing
communities submerged in Thailand and thousands of homes destroyed in southern
India _ where commemorations were small and subdued.
A dozen fishermen watched gulls circle overhead in one hard-hit hamlet early Tuesday,
staring at the sea and telling stories about villagers who died. Hundreds more gathered
as the day went on, some throwing flowers into the water as others lit camphor sticks.
``Ever since the tsunami, my brother has done nothing but drink,'' said Nagarwali, 42,
pointing to a fisherman who lost his wife and three children in the waves.
The drill on Indonesia's resort island of Bali _ which involved real-time warnings sent
from the capital to radios along the beach _ was as much about raising awareness as
testing technology deployed in the country hardest hit two years ago.
Nearly 167,000 of those killed were from Aceh province _ hundreds of kilometers
(miles) from Bali _ where tens of thousands of people still live in temporary homes.
Sirens wailed as masses, many of them school children, briskly walked inland from the
shore, accompanied by Indonesia's minister of research and technology and a handful
of foreign tourists.
``The biggest challenge is working with the people to make them aware,'' said German
geologist Harald Spahn, who is helping Indonesia set up its alert network. ``It is a really
complex job that many people underestimate.''
Underscoring his point, a woman selling baked corn on the beach refused to budge.
``I'm not going anywhere,'' said Wati. ``I still have to make some money this morning.''
In Thailand, ceremonies will be held along the Andaman coast with Buddhist prayers to
remember more than 8,200 killed. Balloons will be launched and candles lit along
beaches once again filled with sun-seeking tourists.
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In Sri Lanka, the resurgence of a civil war has added to the misery of survivors and
slowed efforts to rebuild _ sparking criticism from outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, who urged Tamil Tiger rebels and the military to lay down their arms.
``No one could have prevented the tsunami's wave of destruction,'' he wrote in a
statement. ``But together, we can stem the tide of conflict, which threatens once again
to engulf the people of Sri Lanka.''
Temple bells chimed to mark the exact time the first wave crashed ashore, and all cars
and trucks came to a standstill for two minutes. Looking to the future, officials also
erected the first of 100 coastal warning towers.
In India, where another 18,000 are believe to have died, interfaith ceremonies were
being held and in Malaysia, where 69 people were killed, volunteers were replanting
mangroves.
24 die in fire in Philippines department store
Manila, Dec. 26 (AP): A fire blamed on illegally sold firecrackers swept through a
department store in the central Philippines on Christmas Day, killing 24 people who
tried to escape in a restroom, police said Tuesday.
The blaze spread quickly from firecrackers and pyrotechnics that ignited near the
entrance door of the one-story building in Ormoc city, 550 kilometers (340 miles)
southeast of Manila, leaving many vendors and customers trapped inside, said Chief
Superintendent Eliseo dela Paz.
He said people who were near the entrance managed to escape but others were forced
to go deeper into a restroom, where 23 charred remains were found.
Those killed included customers, vendors and store employees.
Another person died of injuries overnight and 15 were treated in two Ormoc hospitals.
Two of them are in critical condition, acting provincial police director Senior
Superintendent Manuel Cobillo said.
Earthquake measuring 5.8 strikes Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek, Dec. 26 (AP): A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Kyrgyzstan, but
there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The quake, which occurred at about 2 a.m., was centered in the border area between
the Naryn and Issyk-Kul regions. Russia's ITAR-Tass new agency reported. The U.S.
National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said the quake registered
5.8 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of 6 miles (9.7 kilometers).
There were no immediate reports of casualties, ITAR-Tass reported.
Additional details were not immediately available.
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Moderate quake jolts central Japan
Associated Press
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 (Tokyo):
A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 jolted central Japan early
morning on Tuesday.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the Japan Meteorological
Agency said.
The quake jolted Niigate prefecture (state) and other areas in central Japan, but no
tsunami warnings were issued, Kyodo News agency reported.
Kyodo said the quake, which struck about 8:17 am (local time), was centered near Sado
Island in the Sea of Japan at a depth of about 30 kilometres.
Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in
the world.
Powerful storms hit Florida
Associated Press
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 (Florida):
Powerful storms damaged at least three dozen homes in Florida as heavy rain and
strong wind swept across the southeast of America on Monday.
In Columbia County, an apparent tornado tore through parts of the region wrecking
homes. Rusty Berry, a local landlord, described the lucky escape of a tenant family in his
Florida property.
"They had a little baby in their house and at first they couldn't find it, but it was on the
floor up underneath the stuff, and there was some wood that had crossed up in a "T" and
the baby was up under it, sound asleep. Didn't even know nothing was going on." Berry
told a reporter.
At least two homes were destroyed and 10 others damaged.
Glen Owens, a Florida resident who witnessed what he described as a tornado hitting
his neighbours home, said it all happened very quickly.
"I was just looking out the back window when a storm started and I saw a wall of water
coming across the lake and you start hearing that noise you hear everybody talking
about, about the train (from the tornado)."Said Owens.
Damage in Columbia County is estimated at 3.5 (m) million US Dollars. Local authorities
say the storm passed shortly before noon and that a tornado warning had been issued
early on Monday.
Compiled by
AD Kaushik
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