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Returning to the Sea
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Photo: USAID/Kristen Kelleher
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A fishing boat repaired by USAID and armed with a restored motor awaits launching in Tirumallivasal, on India's southern shores. This was one of the first crafts in the ocean after the tsunami decimated Tirumallivasal.
Fishermen celebrated the sound of engines running and boats in the water.
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Devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, the south Indian coastal village of Tirumallivasal has
begun to recover, as its 10,000 residents rebuild and return to their livelihoods.
After the disaster, USAID response teams helped construct a temporary settlement with 525 units,
including a daycare center, TV rooms, a community hall and health and police posts. They also provided
volleyball nets, cricket bats and jump ropes to create positive outlets for children who had
experienced severe trauma and longed for their former homesteads and communities.
A third of Tirumallivasal's 10,000 residents are fishing families that trawl for fish for
their own tables and for local markets. After the tsunami ravaged their boats and supplies,
hundreds of fishing families lost their income — and thus their purchasing power — and
could no longer supply fish to markets, dragging down the local economy. It was vital to get
fishermen back to work as quickly as possible, both to restore family income and revitalize the
larger economy.
USAID engaged a local mechanic — who the villagers trusted and who charged reduced
rates for services — to repair motors on damaged fishing boats. USAID also distributed nets
and gear to families that had lost them.
On February 18, fishermen celebrated the sound of engines running and boats in the water, and
launched their crafts that afternoon. With USAID support, Tirumallivasal was one of the first Indian
fishing villages affected by the tsunami to show signs of recovery, and of once again becoming
a thriving community.
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