Geotechnical and Structural Damage in Tamil Nadu, India, from the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Abstract

A reconnaissance team surveyed the geotechnical and structural engineering aspects of tsunami damage on the coast of Tamil Nadu in India. The area surveyed was from Chennai on the east coast to Thiruvananthapuram on the west coast. There was practically no major evidence of damage from direct ground shaking, although damage from the tsunami was extensive. The geotechnical engineering damage observed was mostly due to erosion of soil, settlement of soil, damage to port and harbor facilities, and damage to lifelines. The structural engineering damage involved damage to compound walls, collapse of rural houses, failure of columns, and toppling of roofs; some of the damage occurred because reinforcement details were lacking. Analyses of damage and its causes were performed, and the level of damage correlated well with the tsunami runup for the localities visited.