The day the waves shook Lanka

by Florence Wickramage

Tsunami waves rising higher and higher rolled in battering parts of Sri Lanka's coastline devouring everything under the sun leaving death and destruction in their wake. Around 40,000 human beings lost their lives - properties destroyed - children were left orphaned and families scattered. Tsunami hit areas were scarred with debris - like a demonised battle-field. One year ago this was the worst and the darkest day Sri Lanka ever saw - the day Mother Lanka cried.

In the early hours of December 26th last year, I was among a group of journalists on an assignment to Uda Walawe. The day dawned similar to any other day. I marvelled at the bright streaks of dawn lighting up the skies with pastel shades... the trees and paddy fields came into focus... and nature was as beautiful as ever. It must have been sheer luck that our party took the Ratnapura route to reach the destination because tsunami had struck about an hour before we reached there. I may not have been here today to write this story had we taken the Southern coastal route!.

While at Uda Walawe we heard the sad news broken over the broadcasting waves and was shocked to hear that Tsunami was repeatedly wreaking havoc and that Block 1 of the Yala National Park had also been at the receiving end. We heard that the Patanangala Park Bungalow and the Yala Safari Lodge had been destroyed with all occupants within, among whom were foreigners.

Those who were at the Beach had been washed away and drowned in the mighty waves. I remember this location very well since I had been there many times. Much against expert advice we decided to immediately leave for Yala to see for ourselves what had happened.

As we arrived at the Yala National Park, residents in the area advised us against going further in but we persisted that we had to continue our journey interior to the eastern end of the park to witness the devastation.

There were several groups of people, despair written all over their faces, speaking to each other in muffled tones. Several four-wheel drive vehicles were plying up and down inside the park bringing in dead bodies. Rising to the occasion several gallant men had ventured in, in rescue work and among them were local wildlife officials and those from the Department of Wildlife Conservation head office in Colombo led by their boss and a couple of our journalists from the group, helping in.

We ventured further and saw vehicles and other heavy equipment belonging to the Park Bungalow and the Safari Lodge washed away by the tsunami tidal waves stuck in the mud. Among those items were suitcases, clothes etc. which belonged to the occupants also stuck in high branches of trees. We returned through Tissamaharama by night - it was a dead city with groups of people at intervals on the road and the hospital compound filled with anxious kith and kin of tsunami victims.

On another day along with my family members we ventured downsouth to see the tsunami destruction. The sights were appalling. The tsunami waves had come inland to a distance of about 200 metres rolling on to the roads several trawler boats. Cars tossed about had landed nose downwards resting along partially destroyed walls of houses. The Peraliya railway line was a twisted and mangled wreck.

Dotting the waysides were camping sites of `tsunami tents' where displaced people were housed. The coastal belt and boatyards were in chaotic disorder and several boats totally destroyed. The once congested Hambantota town was bare and desolate.

Resurrection

Following on the heels of the tsunami waves, aid in cash and kind from different quarters from both local and international agencies came pouring in.

Vehicles loaded with food, dry rations, tents, medicines and clothes etc. rushed to tsunami affected areas for the benefit of those affected. These were distributed among the displaced - some of whom were temporarily accommodated in temple and church premises, schools and community centres.

The excitement and vigour of donors and helpers which rose immediately out of the tsunami waves seems to have now waned. Still there are camps and tents and refugees....living in unsanitary conditions... hoping against hope that they would be able to once again piece up together the broken strands of life and live a decent life. Little children looking forward to normal school days again to be equipped to face the future. What is the future of the youth in tsunami affected areas poised to assume their place in society as the next generation of leaders of the nation?

Lesson

"Our coast invited the tsunami" - man betrayed nature and nature punished those guilty of it. It was evident that those who most suffered were those who destroyed nature and its natural defences.

Mangroves, sand dunes, beach vegetation, coral reefs are among natural treasures man plundered to erect structures which would bring in monetary gains. The angry sea turned tables and the gains were reduced to losses.

Heavy eco-system destruction were recorded from places where the beach front features consisted of low stature sand dunes, cleared areas, lagoons, outlets and bays. Modification of beach environment for the construction of tourism facilities, boatyards, modified water canals and settlements paid a heavy price.

Immediately after the tsunami, those in authority spoke about erecting a green belt and a 100 or 200-metre buffer zone. Planting of tropical trees suited to a marine ecosystem and the protection of the coastline were under discussion.

Much research and rapid assessments were done on tsunami damage to life and property and expenditures to be incurred estimated. It had been reported that enough and more financial tsunami aid had flown into the country from here and abroad. There were news reports and pictures of outdated provisions being destroyed, medical drugs stored indefinitely being unsuitable for human consumption, materials in kind stagnating in store-houses and tsunami financial aid unscrupulously drained into other avenues. Inequality in aid distributions had been highlighted.

Restoration and rehabilitation work had been undertaken at intervals to a certain extent...yet at snail space. There are questions that the general public poses to those in authority and to those who could make a difference to the lives of those innocent affected.

Has those in authority exercised maximum efforts to restore the country back to normalcy? What of the nation's future? What action has been taken to prevent natural disasters as colossal as the tsunami recurring? How far is man educated and equipped to act in instances of such disasters? How was the tsunami financial aid utilised and those affected benefitted? How much of this planned and proposed paper work being transferred into practical action?

One year has elapsed after the tsunami tidal waves swept our shores and rolled inland... it's worthwhile to ponder as to whether sufficient has been done so far for those affected and the country, and where we actually are.

An expectant nation asks "when will all those tsunami tents disappear and public life once again return to normalcy?".