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National Safety Day fell on Dec. 26 :
When fury of Indian Ocean unleashed.....
by Indunil Thenuwara
December 26, 2004 will forever
be etched in our memories as the darkest day in Sri Lanka’s history. It
was the day when the fury of the Indian Ocean was unleashed among the
hapless population of several Indian Ocean rim countries including Sri
Lanka .... when water, which had been our friend, turned foe.
The Boxing Day tsunami was caused by an earthquake off the coast of
Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The earthquake, measuring 9.3 on the Richter
Scale, was the world’s most powerful in more than 50 years and the
second biggest quake ever recorded.
 The resultant waves travelled thousands of kilometres, increasing in
intensity, speed and strength as they moved, and wreaked havoc across
many countries in the Asian region including Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Maldives, before moving
towards the African continent where it claimed more lives in Somalia.
The death toll passed 270,000 while many thousands went missing. The
ferocious waves wiped out entire cities, carrying many to a watery
grave.
In Sri Lanka, the 10-metre tall waves first hit the Eastern Coastal
Belt before moving south, devastating Hambantota, Matara, Galle,
Kalutara and Beruwela before moving westwards, venting all their fury on
the innocent human beings who were unlucky enough to be caught in their
path. Over 30,000 persons perished while millions of rupees worth of
property was damaged or destroyed.
Thousands of people lost everything they had in the world, their
families, homes and other property, and everything they called their
own. Many went missing and their families continue to live in a state of
uncertainty about their fate.
There were instances where several victims had been discovered from
other parts of the island, with some of them being too traumatised to
even identify themselves.
A woman who was begging in the streets of Ratnapura was recently
claimed by a family as their sister who was lost in the tsunami.
Now, December 26 is named as the National Safety Day in Sri Lanka to
remember the victims of the tsunami; increase awareness about threats,
both natural and man-made, to the safety of the country and its
citizens; and improve and enhance methods to minimise the damage from
such incidents.
Although the tsunami happened five years ago, the wounds are still
fresh in the minds of some, especially those who were directly affected
by this cataclysmic event. While its anniversary continues to reopen old
wounds, all opportunities should be provided for the survivors to, if
not forget, heal and rebuild their lives. |
