Publication

Abstract : A field study team interviewed local government officials, community-based organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to assess community capacity and emergency response to the tsunami. In addition, 1,000 households on the Nagapattinam coast were randomly surveyed to assess household capacity and disaster response. The results presented here show that the district government did have an emergency plan in place, but it was modeled on a neighboring district's plan and focused almost exclusively on floods and drought relief. The local governmental response, therefore, was dominated by skilled improvisation, assisted by state, union, and private sector resources. The nongovernmental and community-based organizations' response was massive, and an attempt was made by the local government to organize and structure the voluntary response.