Lifeline Systems in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) after the December 2004 Great Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami

Lifeline systems in the Andaman and Nicobar islands performed poorly during the December 2004 Great Sumatra earthquake and tsunami. Several power stations and transmission lines were damaged by the ground shaking, affecting the electric power supply to parts of the islands. Telecommunication services were severely affected because of destruction of several telephone exchanges. These services were restored quickly by government agencies. The dams and reservoirs, which supply potable water, sustained minor damage from ground shaking. However, segmented pipelines connecting the dams and reservoirs to various storage sites broke at several places, which significantly affected the water supply for a few days. Ground shaking damaged several elevated as well as ground‐supported storage tanks. Damage related to tsunami waves was substantial in the 500–1,000‐ m strip immediately next to the coastline.