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 As
the rehabilitation phase unfolds, many tsunami victims strive to put the
past behind and turn a new leaf, in spite of the psychological scars
that are likely to last a lifetime. For many victims the December 26th
tragedy was not over, as it was followed by a series of lootings and
other lawless activities, which was mainly due to the security forces
having there resources stretched under the situation, which was then
prevailing. The earthquake which struck on march 28th further
demonstrated the significance of a tsunami warning system in the Indian
ocean, as thousands of people living near the coastline of most
countries in the Indian ocean spent agonizing moments after the
earthquake fearing another tsunami.
After Indonesia, Sri Lanka was most affected with the 2nd
highest death toll estimated to be over 30,000. Many of the people who
came face to face with the tsunami did not have a clue as to what was
happening, and most of them had not even heard the word “tsunami”.
AW
Karunadasa 52 is a disabled coconut vendor and has been selling coconuts
on a bridge 14 meters above sea level and over 100 meters away from the
sea. The bridge connects the road that runs over a river leading into
the sea. Karunadasa who was working at the location for the past 15
years was both frightened and confused when he saw the initial wave
approximately 2 feet high flowing towards the bridge. “I couldn’t
understand understand why such a massive wave was coming,” he says. The
initial wave had continued to flow for duration of 10 minutes inland and
then took about the same time to flow back.
Half an hour later a 2nd wave flowed inland through the
bridge for approximately 20 minutes and back in the same time. Few
minutes later a 3rd wave which was described as the most
severe flowed inland for over half an hour and again the same time to
flow back, causing most of the damage. “I saw people running all over.
It was chaos,” says Karunadasa. The 3rd wave also had also
brought in a variety of objects in many different sizes from small pans
to large cupboards and tables, which was then followed by even larger
boats and rafts. “It was just like a race,” said Karunadasa. All 3
waves clearly indicate a pattern of each wave becoming increasingly more
severe one after the other.
Naline Weerasinghe 26 who is a university student lives in Payagala that
witnessed one of the worlds worst train disasters as a result of the
tsunami. Before the tsunami Naline was residing in a house that was in a
clear visual distance from the sea, however after the tsunami half of
the entire house was destroyed. On the day of the incident Naline said
the sea was calm but a bit windy when all of a sudden a wave rose up and
splashed all over him, he then realized that this was something out of
the ordinary. “I ran towards the house and screamed out to my mother and
sister that the ocean was coming,” says Naline. Once they were outside
his mother then told him that his grandmother was inside, which he then
recovered and proceeded further inland across the road. As Naline was
walking with his grandma in his arms the water level from the wave rose
up to his neck, “I couldn’t manage anymore so I put my grandmother onto
my shoulders and walked towards a fence, I then shouted for help and a
friend came and took my grandmother,” he says. Naline had then proceeded
back towards his house where he witnessed the wave getting sucked back
into the ocean, forming approximately 250 meters of dry land. During
this stage many of the local residents had been out trying to recover
lost items and some people had gone towards the beach see the dried up
land. Approximately 30 minutes later the 2nd wave resurfaced
and many people are believed to have lost their lives then.
From the disaster children were the ones who were hit the hardest on all
fronts from the death toll where half the victims are believed to be
children to the psychological impact. UNICEF who was in the tsunami
stricken areas immediately after the disaster focused on the main needs
of children such as food, shelter, health and medical supplies in
addition to water sanitation.
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“When you visit the shelter you see that sanitation is a major issue,
that’s something were trying to focus on,” says Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, Programme Coordinator. She also said the
response from different donors who fund UNICEF was good. “Where
airlifting drugs for 150,000 people for a 3 month period in all 12
districts that have been badly effected,” Says Dr. Haque.
The
need for children to immediately be in an environment where they feel
more secure was stressed by Dr.Haque and she specified that mainly younger children
would be extremely scared. She also stated that children who have seen
dead people around and have lost family members need urgent attention
which they hope to do by diverting there attention to play and putting
recreational material in place, and then bringing back kids to school
and making sure items such as books were available. “In the long term
it’s going to be rehabilitation by making sure our priorities go to help
schools,” says Dr.Haque. UNICEF is jointly working together with other
UN agencies and also the local NGO’s and local partners in Sri Lanka.
Related
links>>
Sri Lanka Water Supply Still
Suffers Effects of 2004 Tsunami
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