Seventy-year-old Pattammal lives in a coastal village in Nagapattiman district, Tamil Nadu, with her husband and their youngest son. Before the Indian Ocean tsunami, the family supported each other – the men fished for a living, while Pattammal laboured in the nearby saltpans, kept a few cows and goats, and farmed three acres of land.

Pattammal was at home making breakfast when the tsunami struck. "My neighbour came running in and said, 'Run away!' For a moment, I couldn’t understand why. But, before I could realise, I saw huge waves coming towards us." Pattammal ran to higher ground and was directed to the marriage hall, where she was relieved to find the rest of her family. She camped there with other survivors for a week.

Pattammal was safe but her life was shattered. When she returned home, she found the house empty, the fishing boat broken into pieces, her livestock missing and her land silted over. "My neighbours said I could never use the land for agriculture. I was crying throughout the day and night, not knowing how we would live. My son was also worried. I was afraid that my husband and I would be a burden to him."

Pattammal’s fears were widely shared. The waves that swept more than a kilometre inland along the Tamil Nadu coast affected nearly 8,000 farmers in Nagapattinam district alone. Many were poor people, mainly women, farming one or two acres. The salt water not only ruined their crops, but made the land useless for farming in the future.

Ten months on, the situation looks brighter. HelpAge India is working with local partners to help older tsunami survivors to restore their livelihoods, improve their access to social protection, and protect themselves against future disasters, with funding from the UK Disasters Emergency Committee.

A key activity is the establishment of older people’s self-help groups, drawing on HelpAge India’s experience after the Gujarat earthquake in 2001. Pattammal is a member of a mixed group of older men and women that has set up a savings scheme to provide loans for income-generating activities.

Pattammal is also one of 100 older people in Tamil Nadu who are receiving help from HelpAge India to reclaim their land. The two-year process includes removing sand, deep-ploughing to improve drainage, and digging a pond for water to drain into and provide water for crops. To begin with, the land is only suitable for fodder grass and a few crops, but is gradually restored to full production. HelpAge India’s partner pays families to do this work and provides each family with a cow and calf.

Pattammal feels more optimistic about the future. "I never thought that my land could be fertile again. Now I spend most of my time working on my land. I am no longer a burden to my son. I've gained confidence in myself. All of us are going to work on the land. We don’t want to go fishing any more. This is enough for us."

For more information: Email Merlin Freeda, Communication Manager, HelpAge India.