A week after the tsunami made them refugees on their own soil, thousands of the dispossessed in Nagapattinam and its surrounding villages started the long and painful journey back. After living on charity for a week, they will now have to look for new means of livelihood. The prospect of going back to the sea is too daunting as of now. Word has it that there has been an exodus of victims from the relief camps in Nagapattinam and Velankanni, most making their way homewards in relief trucks run by voluntary agencies. Several returned to the camps for the night, fearing the waves. Among the first to return were residents of Akkaraipettai, Keechankuppam and Nambiyar Nagar. Most of the ruined huts lay semi-submerged in knee-deep slush, which will have to be cleared before new structures come up. Though Nagai Collector Veera Shanmugamoni had assured professional help in cleaning the sites, Monday saw residents scooping up the slush by themselves in buckets and trying to salvage possessions. However, greater shocks awaited them. While the residents fled, looters had been at work, breaking almirahs and scooting away with whatever they could find. Pulling out a battered tin trunk from under the wreck of her Serudhur home near Velankanni, Nagammal howled: ‘‘They have stolen all my jewellery and cash. I have lost two children already . and now this!’’ ‘‘The enumeration process of damage and distribution of financial assistance is still on. Water and sanitation facilities are being taken care of. We have already started putting up temporary structures on certain sites and the issuing of new ration cards will start immediately,’’ the Collector said. Relief and rehabilitation workers want the government to mount a coordinated effort with NGOs. ‘‘The best way to ensure normalcy would be to reopen closed schools. Though many families have lost children, they are still eager to send the remaining children to school,’’ said senior UN officer Savita Varde-Naqvi.
