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| Sunday, 2 January 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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9.0/2004 - Aftermath Tsunami, the giant tidal wave formed by an underwater earthquake or a volcanic eruption, moves at speeds between 500 and 800 kph and is a great towering wave having massive destructive power....This wave hit our tiny isle and has taken thousands of lives in South East Asia, leaving behind a wreckage of an unprecedented nature.
December 26th has been a Jonah's day that brought an immeasurable amount of sorrow and misfortune, especially to the pearl of the Indian Ocean. People woke up to greet what could be called an ordinary morning, not knowing that death was just a wave away... Many have been washed away from the shores that they had grown up with, to the turbulent seas that devoured them unmercifully. Children still in deep slumber, fathers who wouldn't leave their off spring, mothers who weren't strong enough to resist the murderous tide and foreigners who were drinking in the beauty of the golden coast have been the innocent victims.
Death certainly whispered in their ears when the murky ocean kissed the shores at full throttle causing nothing but life long heartache to the living. Umangi de Mel, Nissansala Aryachandra, Chanuka Mannaperuma and Chamitha Kuruppu visited the displaced at the Subodharama temple, Dehiwela and spoke to some of them. Survivors lament not for their property but for the loved ones they have lost.... Tsunami has thus taken a very high toll on human lives. Victims being the poor and the marginalised who have lost their homes, loved ones, their livelihood and the precious little they possessed are all the more vulnerable to disease. There is a sense of despondency among the victims as to what will happen to them, once the initial fervour of help dies down. From then on, it will be a time for them to carry on their lives... Over 1,500 people who are destitute have taken shelter at the Subodharama temple in Dehiwela. "We live down Aponso Avenue by the coast. Last Sunday around 9.30 am we noticed a change in the wave movements of the sea but it was harmless. Around 12 noon however, before we realised what was happening, a huge wave hit us badly. We didn't have time to think, let alone gather our stuff, all we could do was run for our lives, which we did with all our might," says R. M. Premasiri and his family. "Thank God our lives weren't harmed but we've lost every little bit we owned. Our children don't even have their birth certificates. My only worthwhile possession, my fishing boat has been missing since. Our houses are flattened to the ground. Nobody knows what to do. We wish this wouldn't happen to anybody ever again," Premasiri says explaining their plight. The temple brims with folk, small ones playing, some fighting to get hold of soft drink bottles that were being distributed among them. Women stare and have nothing to say, while some cajole their babies to sleep. Nilmini, 18, said "it was a gigantic wave. We were almost drowned, but luckily people were there to pull us out and we came running to the temple as the police told us to vacate the place. Everything is provided here but we need some sheets to cover the small ones. We are supposed to stay here till January 1 but where can we go even after that?"Grief stricken to the core, families huddle up together haplessly. Volunteers have already started work. Doctors categorise the displaced so that they get exactly what they need according to the age, size and sex. "I hope the donors come to us first so that we could tell them what exactly is required. That way we could avoid wastage and lots of inconvenience" says a doctor who is a volunteer at the camp. Talking about the situation, Sujeewa Fernando, a lecturer of the Wayamba University says, that the ongoing system of food distribution and other items has a few loopholes since there is no one to take responsibility, there is waste. "I strongly feel the need of a government official to be in charge of the process. Buddhist monks can't handle this alone. At the moment, it's disorganised and there is wastage. We had to throw over a 1,000 packets of lunch in the morning. If only we had an official vehicle to take the packets somewhere else, these could have been distributed. Apparently its happening in all the camps," he feels that the government should utilise their facilities properly. "We need proper kitchens in the camps And donors bring lunch packets when the cooking is already over. We need officials to be in charge of all these camps to check what is really needed. It's a sin to waste anything around these places," he says. Over one million families affected by the tidal waves that lashed our coast last Sunday are gradually coming to terms with the loss, heartache and the horror of nature stretched to its highest limits. The efforts and the urge to help people in need have never been more pronounced in word and deed in a long time as it is now. The driving force in this national calamity is that many people have volunteered to serve the displaced, similarly with the guidance and co-ordination of the clergy. The relief work at the temple is carried out collectively by contributions and donations made by people of the area and elsewhere. Among the many humanitarian efforts in an operation islandwide, the people of Sri Lanka responded to the situation at the spur of the moment at this hour of need. Now, days after the destruction, people are displaced and confined to schools, religious institutions and the like. Other than this camp, five other camps have been set up in Dehiwela itself to provide shelter to the people living along the beach who lost their houses and property following the disaster. The temple shelters over 2,500 people belonging to nearly 500 families. Although the sea that created this mass devastation was now calm, these people were still in shock trying to come to terms with what really happened. Most of them were children and there were nearly seventy infants who knew nothing about the gravity of the situation. During the couple of hours we spent inside the camp, at least a 100 donors mainly from the area, visited the camp bringing food, clothes, medicine and many other donations. "We receive more than enough cooked food and yesterday there were over 500 excess lunch packets which we sent to other camps in the area," said the Ven. Ambalangoda Dhammika Thera, the chief priest. Now the entire country is grief stricken and is taking every possible step to help the victims. But people cannot continue this forever, there will be a time when all these innocent people will be left without any help. Therefore, we look forward to collecting as much dry rations and other necessary items like medicine, mats, soap, pillows and bed-sheets which they can use at a later time. Dhammika Thera said. "Other than cooked food and clothes we will not issue any other donations such as household items and kitchen utensils received as donations to the victims. All these people have lost their homes and have no place to go, if we give them these donations, other people will loot them, so I have clearly told them that once they finish reconstruction of their houses all the household items and kitchenware will be distributed among them", he pointed out. A common complaint made by the people was that these donations were not distributed among the victims properly, but during our stay inside the camp we witnessed the trouble taken by a handful of people trying to cope with distributing food to over 2,500 of the displaced. A special committee has been appointed to streamline the functioning of the camp. There were over 25 young scouts sorting out and distributing donations. Doctors from the area have volunteered to help the victims. Several foreigners could also be seen comforting little children. A well-known public figure of the area, who was playing a major role helping the victims in Dehiwela, Wellawatta and Mount Lavinia shared his opinions and ideas with the Sunday Observer. While stressing his wish to remain anonymous, he said that it was high time for the authorities to commence 'some sort of assessment' of this devastation. Every single institute in the country is concentrating on collecting donations and distributing dry rations. "Let the social service institutions do that. The government should commence reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation, which is the most important need of the moment,". In most areas, the carnage has not yet been cleared, the site itself makes these people more vulnerable, he said. It is no secret that the aftermath of this devastation will lead to many epidemics, but I believe that these people will suffer psychologically throughout their lives. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their houses and livelihood. If the government fails to work out some long-term plan these people will start to rampage and loot, which will lead to many other social problems, he added. The affected families in the Dehiwela and Wellawatta areas have been extremely lucky not to have lost, a single life which in itself is the greatest blessing in this disaster. Nevertheless, they have escaped death right before their own eyes. One such family is S.A. Shantha and Nimali Basnayake " we were lucky because we were warned by Police Officers before the big wave. It happened at around 12.30 p.m. Earlier, there were two other waves, we panicked, we didn't know what was happening. We are lucky to be alive", they said. E. M. Jayatissa, who is on a wheel chair said "I was saved by my friends and family. I was carried to safe grounds. Thank God it happened on a holiday when everyone was around. I'd be dead if it weren't for my family and friends". Wasanthi Fonseka said "I carried my children and ran for my life. I know we are lucky to be alive but we have lost everything. Where are we going now. We are treated very well here, but we can't stay here forever. I hope the government will give us a house". What these affected families need now is to go back home and build their lives again. They have nothing to call their own, except for the donations they get. |
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