ABSTRACT

This chapter presents an overview of pertinent details regarding the Indian Ocean tsunami followed by a brief overview of the geography and demographics of Tamil Nadu fishing society. The Coromandel Coast comprises the districts from Nagapattinam up to Chennai. This area was hit the hardest by the tsunami. The tsunami occurred on 26 December 2004 after an earthquake of magnitude 9.3 occurred under the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, Indonesia. The chapter provides a description of the different gendered occupations within fishing communities followed by an overview of the tsunamis more general effects on the fishing industry and community infrastructure. It then examines the most common forms of aid provided to fishing communities in the immediate aftermath, followed by a critical look at the effects this concentrated aid had. The sex ratio in fishing communities in Tamil Nadu is more heavily skewed towards males. Examine the gendered nature of livelihood shifts that have occurred in response to post tsunami conditions.