Tsunami alert spreads panic in coastal areas

Following Sunday’s massive earthquake off the coast of Indonesia and the subsequent tsunami alert from the Centre, the state machinery in all the nine coastal districts was put on high alert and rescue agencies were kept ready.

The alert was withdrawn in the evening. The administration was concerned about the Sunday crowds on several beaches along the coast. The district administrations had asked everyone to stay clear of the shores. And fishermen were also told not venture into the sea. In Nellore, revenue officials rushed to villages located close to the sea and advised people living in low lying areas to move to safer places. The revenue staff had to ask the police to clear the Sunday crowd from the beaches at Mypadu and Kodurupadu when they did not heed their requests.

Panic struck locals along the coastal villages of the Prakasam when the sea level rose at the Pakala and Singarayakonda beaches. One N. Venu, 19, drowned in the tidal waves at Kothapatnam beach and as the waves rose to 10 feet, residents came out on the roads and did not go back inside till the danger had passed. Locals were alerted and beaches cleared at Kakinada in the East Godavari and Narasapuram and Mogalturu areas in the West Godavari. Authorities at Vizag, however, had a tough time clearing the beaches. As soon as the tsunami alert came through, teams were despatched to evacuate the beaches but instead of vacating the area, the public started thronging it. Mr Y. Padam of Venkateswara Nagar said, “I do not realise the reason why they scared the hell out of us. After all a tsunami is something that is not going to happen every day.” In Vijaywada the district administration responded immediately to the warning and alerted everyone. “Things are perfectly all right in the Bay of Bengal and the waves are normal,” chief secretary, Mr S.V. Prasad, told this newspaper after the alert was withdrawn. The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, who is now on a tour to Guntur, appealed to people not to panic and directed the chief secretary and district collectors to monitor the climate.