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Sri Lanka Journal |
Arabella's Diary
Sunday 6 March 2005 "All that remains of a house")
 "All that remains of a house")
Most of our drive was by the coast (the south of the west coast of the island), but in the north of the Kalutara District, just south of Colombo, although quite a few died in the Tsunami, the physical damage to buildings and the environment is not tremendously obvious. As we progress southwards, down the coast, however, we see more and more evidence of houses having been destroyed.
Many people are living in temporary shelters and tents. Many of them have their tents on the concrete foundations of their destroyed houses. Some wooden huts have been built as temporary housing, but not many - certainly not nearly enough. We wonder what will happen when the monsoon comes, which could be as soon as the end of March. From Festival living over the years, the Clown and I know how hard it is living in a tent in the rain. If you touch the side of the tent, the rain comes in and anything near the edge gets damp. Nobody seems to know what will happen when the rain comes - unfortunately it is inconceivable that sufficient replacement housing will be built before the monsoon season begins.  "Map of Sri Lanka showing tsunami statistics")
As we enter the province of Galle, the physical damage becomes more and more evident. In this area (according to a Government map we have gleaned) 4,218 died in the Tsunami, 313 were injured, 554 are still missing. Although 123, 247 of the IDP's (internally displaced persons) are with relatives, 4,351 IDP's are in tents, etc., in 36 different camps.
The area around Peralaya seems to have been particularly badly hit. Many, many houses have been destroyed - not just by the beach, but up to 1 kilometre inland. In many areas a big clean-up operation is still in progress, and you can see neat piles of the bricks that have been salvaged and stacked up by the foundations in the hope of rebuilding (currently the Government are saying that people cannot rebuild within 100 metres of the beach, so there is some confusion going on about rehousing generally.) Many boats (and therefore livelihoods) have been destroyed - and some can still be seen half-way up trees - a horrifying sight which gives one some idea of the strength of the waves that devastated this area.  "The train that was hit by the Tsunami")
At Thelwadtte we see the train that was hit by the Tsunami and on which so many died. Apparently the number that died here is far higher than the official figure - it is known how many tickets were sold for the train journey, but, as in so many places in South East Asia, as world travellers will know, many extra people without tickets will have jumped on the train during the journey. Also, most poignantly, the train stopped when the first wave hit, and many people rushed to put their children on it, thinking to send them to safety, and these children also died when the second, far larger, wave hit the train some minutes later. They have righted the train and put it back on the tracks as a memorial to those who died - it is a very moving sight!
After a quick lunch, we head to the Meetiyagoda Buddhist Temple, where Mohan has computers to deliver on behalf of the Ruhuna Children's Development Trust for a computer centre which is opening at the temple. The weather suddenly changes, and instead of driving through bright sunshine, we are struggling through torrential rain - it gives us some idea of the problems that the homeless people living in tents will experience once the monsoon starts. We arrive at the temple at 2.30 p.m. as arranged, but clearly various people have not arrived, so nothing much happens for a long time - we sit with the chief monk (a most delightful man in bright orange with the most wonderful smile, but no Engish) for about an hour, while monks scrabble on the floor, linking cables and plugs. The Clown and I are both extremely jet lagged - I feel as though I am actually fading in and out of consciousness. Eventually we all troop into the main prayer hall, where about 80 people are gathered. We move on to the computer room, and, as the monks chant, Mohan cuts the ribbon that bars the door. We all light different sections of the traditional oil lamp, and Mohan, the Clown and I are each asked, while the chanting continues, to turn on a different computer each. I am the world's greatest technophobe, and suffer instant paranoia that I will hit the wrong button - how inauspicious that would be! But blessedly, all goes well, and there are 3 shining screens! We go back to the prayer hall and there are a lot of speeches that, of course, we can't understand. But one can see from the children's smiling faces how thrilled they are with the computers and what they will mean to them. I am a student of Buddhism (though of the Tibetan school, rather than the South East Asian school) and in my mind I dedicate the merit of Mohan's computer donation for the benefit of all sentient being, especially those who have suffered from the Tsunami - before lapsing into a jet-lagged state of near-coma while the speeches continue. A couple of hours later, dizzy with relief at being outdoors and awake again, we head on down the coast to the Sun Beach Hotel in Naragami. This hotel is owned by a splendid man called Neil Butler. He has been visiting Sri Lanka regularly for 15 years, and 5 years ago bought this simple, but lovely, little hotel, right on the beach. He and 41 friends, of whom 14 were children, were here when the Tsunami struck on the 26th of December. Mercifully none of them were killed. Their fascinating story can be read on the web, by going here. Neil and his wife Nicky have set up the Hikkaduwa Area Relief Fund (see this site) and through their contacts and the contacts of the other survivors all over the world, but especially in Scotland, have already raised more than 300,000 pounds sterling for relief in this area. They have already repaired or built afresh 67 fishing boats and hope to have 100 more back in the water by June. They are also involved in introducing masses of IT technology into local schools and are setting up a "Creation Centre" in Dodanduwar, where a vast array of different participative arts events will add greatly to the rejuvenation and healing of the area. We got in touch with Neil and his excellent administrator, MC, before we left England and have come to have meetings with them to explore some of their useful contacts and hopefully become aligned with their Creation Centre, where we hope to work at times during Children's World International's September-December 2005 Sri Lankan Tour. After a good meeting with MC and Neil we go out for a quick dinner, unpack and hit our beds early in the hope of feeling more human and less jet-lagged in the morning. 
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CWI Tsunami Tour