Authorities on alert following tsunami caution

CHENNAI: The Tamil
Nadu Government has put
the offi cials in coastal districts
of the state on the
alert after an alert was received
from the Indian Tsunami
Early Warning Centre
(ITEWC) of the Indian
National Centre for Ocean
Information Services (INCOIS).
“It is only an alert. The
entire administration in the
coastal districts right from
Chennai to Kanniyakumari
is asked to be in a state of
alert,’ sources said. The
alert followed a powerful
quake that struck Indonesia,
leading to tremors being
felt in several parts of Tamil
Nadu and in many areas of
Chennai City, creating tsunami
fears in the minds of
the people.
An ITEWC bulletin said
the coastal areas of Chennai,
Cuddalore, Mamallapuram,
Nagapattinam and
Koodankulam, come under
the threat status of ‘alert,’
which means that people
should avoid going to
beaches and low-lying areas.
Vessels should move
into deep Ocean. The forecasted
arrival time of tsunami
for Cuddalore was 1633
hrs, Mamallapuram 1640
hrs, Nagapattinam 1643
hrs, Chennai 1648 hrs and
Koodankulam 1716 hrs.
“Other coastal areas like
Tuticorin, Rameswaram and
Kanniyakumari have been
assigned the threat status of
‘watch,’ which means no immediate
action is required”,
the bulletin said. “Only
Indira Point of the Indira
Point Great-Little Nicobar
Island, Komatra and Katchal
Island and Car Nicobar
have been given the threat
status of warning, which
means that the public should
move in land towards higher
grounds”, it added.
Even the Indian Navy and
the Caost Guard, which was
manning the coastal security,
were put on alert though
there was no offi cial tsunami
warning Commodore
Amar K Mahadevan, Naval
Offi cer-in-charge (Tamil
Nadu and Puducherry) said
there was no specifi c alert of
tsunami. The Naval ships
were engaged in advising
fi shermen to remain in deep
seas as the impact would
be more towards the coast
in the event of a tsunami.
Several ships were kept in
standby for use in the event
of any emergency.
Coast Guard IG and Eastern
Region Commander S
P Sharma said the CG was
on high alert though there is
no offi cial tsunami warning.
“We are in constant touch
with all our detachments”,
he said.