2nd Anniversary

Two years on from the Asian Tsunami, one Indian community is preparing to move from their island home to the mainland. Stefan Templan reports:

Living on an island, with lots of palm trees and long and sandy beaches is probably one of the most common clichés of living in paradise on earth. Yet for the people of Sattankuppam, their island paradise has become a nightmare. If there has ever been something about the proverb “nomen est omen” (the name is an omen), here it fits: Sattankuppam, literally translated, means “Devil’s Village.” Being a very flat island, with hardly any elevated land at all, “Devil’s village” was totally flooded by the monster waves on December 26th 2004. Three girls who were collecting shells at the shore when tsunami struck were killed. But for the survivors there have been many sleepless nights as they live in constant fear of another disaster, always worried whenever the sea is too rough.
Caritas India (SCIAF’s sister agency) offered to move them to the mainland. Most of them welcomed the idea. Yet their feelings are mixed. After all, this island had been home to their families for generations.
Malarkodi Gurusamy, a woman in her forties, recalls the day the tsunami struck: “Within a few seconds I saw about 20 to 25 feet high waves rushing towards our village and I screamed, thinking something bad was going to happen to us.” Something bad happened indeed: three children, collecting shells at the shore when the tsunami struck, were killed by the huge waves, all the boats and nets at the shore were damaged completely. “When we saw the devastation”, says a fisherman of the village, “I said to myself ‘everything is lost now and we have no life hereafter’.”
Yet the tsunami wave did not have the power as it had in other places in India. True, it killed people - a horrible loss that can never be compensated. True, it destroyed the livelihoods of the villagers who exclusively live on fishing. But at least it did not damage the houses. Due to the disaster prone location of the village, however, and considering the trauma its inhabitants are still suffering, the complete village will soon be moved. Permanent shelters are being built at Davamani village, a safer place on the mainland, a 15-minutes-ride away from the island.
Many of the women don’t have any work and gather every day in the village just to pass the time away. Sumathi is convinced: “It will be much easier to find some work on the mainland.” She can be sure about that. Caritas will provide skill trainings and help them to find jobs once they move.
And the children? “We will be happy to live on the mainland”, says Sumithra on behalf of all of the boys and girls from Sattankuppam. “Now we have to ride 40 minutes to school by boat every day. And after school we have to wait for the boat to take us back to our island in another 40-minutes’ ride.” Sumithra is having a quite pragmatic view of what life she and her friends will lead from next year on. “We will be able to learn more for school and yet play more and make much better use of our time, once we don’t have to waste it on long boat rides.”