J Radhakrishnan was the collector of Thanjavur when the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. He was transferred as collector to Nagapattinam, the worst-hit district in Tamil Nadu with 6,065 deaths, on January 10. With the experience of handling the Kumbakonam fire tragedy, he drove to Nagapattinam, where he was met with a disaster of a far-greater scale.
Some of the decisions he was credited with during this time, shaped his career as a crisis-management expert for several governments that followed. Now Additional Chief Secretary in the department of Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection, Radhakrishnan tells Nirupama Viswanathan how the disaster shaped him. Excerpts:
What were the scenes you first witnessed when you entered Nagapattinam that day?
Although I was the collector of Thanjavur, I headed to Nagapattinam as soon as I heard the news since Thanjavur was not affected too much. The first scene I witnessed, even before I fully entered Nagapattinam, was of lakhs of people leaving the town by foot. I reached the government hospital, which was flooded, around noon.
Even on the first day, we had 960 bodies at the GH. This was unlike anything we had ever seen. We went around the region -- petrol bunks had sea water... first responders themselves were hit, there were several areas we couldn’t reach because bridges had been washed away. It was actually on the third day that the entire scale of the disaster sunk in. At one point, not to blame him, but my driver ran away.
What critical decisions were made during this time?
We immediately evacuated people from Velankanni and we began the process of collecting bodies and arranging for burials. The government order for setting up temporary shelters came during this time and we immediately began the process of identifying land. They housed around 13,000 people who were able to restart their lives with the assurance that they had a roof over their heads.
Then, on one of my rounds, I met Meena who was around two-three years old at that time. Her parents had passed and she didn’t seem to have any known relatives. We then realised there was a possibility of children being trafficked and that the children needed a dedicated space. We immediately set it up (the Annai Sathya Illam).
Meena was one of the first admissions to the shelter and 128 other children followed. Meena is getting married this year. A lot of the decision-making process was decentralised and so was the coordination with NGOs. We had debriefing sessions every night where the team laid out their requirements. In the mornings, we took feedback from media persons and NGOs we were working with.
As a bureaucrat, how did the event shape you and inform your decision-making, especially in terms of disaster management?
We learnt that we cannot hope to do "administration", in the classic sense of the word. When it comes to disasters, we need men, material, money, a result-oriented administration that is visible and based on common sense. You also need the attitude for it. I also realised first-hand how important shelterbelt plantations and sand dunes are in disasters such as these. Casuarinas helped reduce impact even when concrete crumbled. As for sand dunes, in a 5-km coastal stretch with natural sand dunes there were only two deaths whereas in the remaining 10-km stretch from Nagore to Serudur, there were around 4,500 deaths.
Did the work you did with the communities towards rehabilitation leave a personal or professional impact on you?
In the years that followed, one thing that I have always believed is that when the public says no, we are no one to say otherwise. I’ve been the first to oppose several projects that have had public opposition. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to use the capabilities built during this time for disaster management, including for Covid-19.
When in the middle of disasters, I’m very steely, I don’t show too many emotions. Long after the disaster, when I see a place like Keechankuppam and I remember that 300 bodies were buried where I’m standing today, I tend to get emotional. It is not because we are emotionally weak, it is because of the enormity of the tragedy and the respect for people’s resilience. Secondly, I’ve always believed that responsibility has to be taken for every soul that passed away. Philosophically, I’ve learned to enjoy the moment.