Friday 7 January 2005

Indonesia

A message from the Chief Executive at WWF-Indonesia
"On behalf of WWF Indonesia, I would like to thank you for the sympathy, empathy and sharing the pain and grief with us. Yes, it's been a very difficult moment for us organizationally and individually to some staff. We are encouraged, however, and certainly not feeling alone in this moment as we feel so much spirit of friendship and togetherness from the network. This is another moment in which everyone at WWF Indonesia feels that WWF is a truly global network."
Mubariq Ahmad, CEO, WWF Indonesia

General
In Indonesia, one WWF staff member is still missing. All the remaining families of staff have now been temporarily relocated to Medan, the capital of North Sumatra Province, some 600 kilometres away from Banda Aceh. WWF-Indonesia is renting houses for these families as all of them had their houses destroyed or severely damaged by the tsunami.

WWF-Indonesia is part of the efforts to help Aceh. Last week, with strong support from WWF-Malaysia, we helped mobilize several military airplanes from Malaysia to transport foods and medicines from Jakarta or Medan to Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.

Since last Friday, WWF-Indonesia has been called to help mobilize volunteers from professional communities and have helped recruit 160 volunteers including doctors, engineers, paramedics, psychiatrists, logistic managers, and public kitchen specialists, who have now flown to the Aceh region.

Part of WWF's office in Banda Aceh is now used as a temporary based of the National Commission for Child Protection (an NGO), thus supporting their efforts to help the orphaned children of Aceh.


India

General
Fishing communities have lost their houses, their boats and nets in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Many cannot go for fishing and many don't want to go into the sea. According to sparse information, coral reefs in the Andaman seas have been impacted, but coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar and Lakshadweep have not suffered much impact.

Andaman and Nicobar
The tsunami caused extensive damage in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While the indigenous tribes have survived by sensing and fleeing to higher grounds into the forest of the islands, there are serious concerns for the Nicobarese, the largest community on the Islands. Some 3,000 people are reported missing. The WWF Project Officers house has been completely destroyed, but he and his family were able to get to safety.

Tamil Nadu
Along the west coast, the Colachel area is the worst affected, with 689 killed and 700 still missing. There are thousands of homeless people in other areas such as Muttom, Kadiapattanam, Kottilpadu, Manakudy and Chothavilai.

Several hamlets in the Chidambaram district were less affected thanks to the presence of a small mangrove forest - used as a sacred grove - which prevented the inhabitants from being swept out to sea by the receding currents. This forest is known as Alaithi Kadukal in Tamil which means "the forest that controls the waves".

The Point Calimere sanctuary in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu also escaped serious damage because of its forest cover, and wildlife is safe in the area, according to Preston Ahimaz, Director of WWF-India's Tamil Nadu State Office, and Anita Mary, Project Officer, Coral Reef Project, Lakshadweep.

The team of WWF-India's partner Suganthi Devason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) are currently conducting a "Rapid Assessment on the effect of Tsunami on Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Mannar". Initial reports indicate that the area between Tuticorin and Rameswaram (Palk Bay) was not damaged.

Andhra Pradesh
As many as 1,500 people may have lost their lives in Machlipatnam, although the exact figure is still not known. Most of the casualties have been among the fishing communities, which have also lost their boats and nets.

There are also reports of how Coringa Mangroves helped save lives of fishermen who took shelter there when the tsunami hit. According to Farida Tampal, from WWF-India's Andhra Pradesh State Office, more and more reports show that mangroves and coastal vegetation helped save lives.

Kerala
Not much information has come from there. However, the government is now considering building sea walls and planting mangroves in sensitive areas. According to WWF-India, the fishing communities in the region have expressed a clear preference for the mangroves.

Lakshadweep
There has been no damage to the coral reefs in Lakshadweep Atoll. However, the entry to the island is closed and flights to Kavarati suspended for the time being.

East Africa

General
The Tsunami caused devastating property damage and loss of life in Somalia. It did less damage along the coastlines of Kenya and Tanzania. There is apparently nothing to report in Mozambique or South Africa, apart from elevated water levels and unusual wave structures.

Tanzania
The most significant impact of the tsunami was along the Dar es Salaam coast in Tanzania. The waves killed 11 people. Fishermen are reporting damage to their vessels and a minor oil spill was reported from a small ship anchored at the Dar es Salaam port.
According to WWF East Africa Programme Office, there was no sign of fish, turtles or other animals washed along the beach. However, there was a major damping of sea grasses as well as unusual sediment and sand accumulation on the beaches.

There was no life loss and no damage to equipment/infrastructure reported in Mafia Island Marine Park nor in the Mnazi Bay Marine Parks.