Panic Strikes Chennai

CHENNAI: Two temblors and a tsunami alert on Wednesday sent people into a tizzy as they rushed out of offices, shopping malls and homes choking roads and clogging airwaves with panic phone calls. The dread that swept through was so alarming that, at one point, Chennai was seen to be collectively waiting with bated breath for a tsunami to strike.The tremors, caused by the qua­ke in Sumatra, Indonesia, were felt not only in Chennai but across Tamil Nadu, including Idinthaka­rai village where an agitation against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant was on.But authorities at the Kalpakkam nuclear establishment said the tremor was of such low intensity that there was no threat to their reactors. They said it measured ‘5 milli-g’ (one milli-g is equal to 1000th of the acceleration due to gravity) and there was no need for concern unless the tremor is over ‘10 milli-g’. Met officials, however, said they had no way of measuring the intensity. Satish Shenoi, Director of Indian National Centre for Ocean Informatics (INCOIS), Hyderabad, which monitors India’s tsunami buoys and bottom pressure recorders, said there was a 10-cm increase in water-level on Chennai’s coast on account of a minor tsunami, whereas the water-level rose by 40 cm on the Andaman coast.The first time the ground shook in Chennai on Wednesday and furniture moved at around 2.15 pm, it was lunch hour for many. As those who rushed out of buildings and stood on the roads with fear writ large on their faces tried to call their loved ones, the airwaves clogged, triggering another wave of fear.  Those who watched TV for updates were frightened by alerts of a possible tsunami at 4.57 pm. The curious among them rushed to the beach, where police acted swiftly and cleared the sands of people. The crowds then lined up along the road with cellphones, waiting to capture images of swelling waves.On all roads, the surge of people led to overcrowded bus stops and traffic snarls. In T Nagar, some people running out of a multi-storeyed store were literally in tears, an eyewitness said. At a jewellery shop, gold ornaments fell off the racks, giving tense moments to employees, as they had to replace them before running for safety. Employees in IT parks and other private companies as well as government offices left for their homes soon after the first tremors set off panic. Some who had bravely returned to their seats fled after an after-shock spooked them at around 4.15 pm.