Proper pre-arrangement needed to counter tsunamis

DISASTER: Last week almost everyone expected the worst and got ready for another major disaster with the tsunami warning issued for Sri Lankans and to the people living in the region.

Many things were said and happened within a very short time. It is good that people still remember how bad a tsunami is even after three years because usually Sri Lankans forget even the worst thing after a couple of weeks.

It is very important to analyse things, said and done and come to a clear position in order to face a similar situation in the future because it seems the possibility of another (future) tsunami disaster has not completely ruled out by the scientists and geologists. There is a very big difference between making people panic and informing them to be safe and maintaining discipline.

The first thing is, certain private media institutions should not be allowed to create panic by carrying out live telecasts of real life `Day After Tomorrow’ using a tsunami warning issued by the Meteorology Department.

May be the `journalists’ in such media institutions want to add something special to their professional lives and have the desire to do something memorable attracting the most number of listeners but they have no right to cause panic among the public in the name of communication. Their responsibility should focus purely on required communication authorised information sticking to objective reporting.

This is very important because when Sri Lankan drivers hear this live telecast of real life `Day After Tomorrow’ over radio channels everywhere in the city, they go crazy and create artificial traffic jams everywhere possible while trying to `fly’ home using their four wheels !. They call from their mobiles, look for fuel stations to get some more fuel and also try to overtake the vehicle ahead while trying to fly using the four wheels.

This is not something good when there is a possible disaster ahead especially during rush hours of the day. Other thing is to issue very foolish orders in personal level. One woman who was travelling to her home during the tsunami warning ordered her husband to come home (Colombo) immediately.

He was somewhere in the South and she was asking him to drive along the coast (Galle road) for few hours at a time when there is a Tsunami warning! After some one overheard her stupid request, explained the danger to her, she asked him to stay at his place safely. It is natural during a disaster when one family member asks you to do something, you do it without thinking twice. Every person wants to be with their families.

In some homes the family members were in their own worlds without knowing a thing about the tsunami warning issued by the Meteorology Department. Some of them switched on the televisions and radios after the tsunami warning was withdrawn.

Some persons were asking “Aththada Muhuda Godagalanawa Kiyanne” hours after the Meteorology Department announced that Sri Lankan coastal belts are safe. It is surprising to see such ignorant people in Sri Lanka.

It was also visible that most of the people did not have a proper pre-arranged plan to evacuate their homes. All State institutions, especially police should have a pre-arranged plan to face such a situation for sure but we cannot sympathise with all the people all the time for not having a pre-arranged plan to face a second tsunami.

Otherwise they get caught to three-wheel drivers who charge Rs. 250 from people to transport them and their belongings less than one kilometre.

Along the New Galle Road, most of the shanties washed away by tsunami came up within months and those people forgot the disaster completely. Many affected families were given flats built in safe locations after the tsunami but most of them did not occupy them or the authorities had to forcefully put them in the flats.

These families are addicted to a very negative mentality that force them to think that they should live in their shanties on the beach and the Government has to take responsibility for their lives. This is not a good way of living and someone has to do something to change this mentality.