Statement from Church World Service
Betticaloa, SRI LANKA – A team from Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan provided supplies and assessed continuing needs in Betticaloa last week, meeting with tsunami survivors in the camps, camp managers, and church leaders.
Kalkuda is 200 meters away from the sea, and a putrid smell continues to fill the air. Houses and other structures 500 meters from the shore -– whether of concrete, wood, or steel -- were completely swept away by waves, while most of the trees remained intact. The military has cautioned that waves took shells and landmines, so much of the damaged area is inaccessible. Books, briefcases, utensils, and doors litter the ground. A local priest commented, "I am tired of burying dead bodies now."
In a nearby village, another pastor, Jebarani Peter of Valaichachenai Methodist Church, told how 1,000 people took refuge in her church compound while the injured and dead arrived at the nearby hospital.
"The first two days we even couldn’t count the people as we ourselves were running here and there for arrangements," Rev. Peter explained. "Sinhalese, Muslims, and Buddhists distributed relief material in the church. In our compound I know 14 people who lost their families. In one family only two girls managed to escape; one of 11 years old and the other 8 years old. Another girl was rescued from the sea with the help of a helicopter."
Recalling those early days, Peter noted, "When we stared distributing food items people cried and said they didn’t need any thing. 'We lost our loved ones and what is the use of such things now.' It was like a funeral house." She said that people now have enough clothing, but shelter is a dire need. Concluding the conversation she commented, "Every day we have different experiences and have different stories of misery."
In a nearby Pentecostal Church Camp accommodating the affected from Kalakoda, Church World Service shelters were distributed. A team of physicians was busy checking patients. The person in charge of the camp said there were 1,263 people in the camp and 435 families. There were toilets, and drinking water is available from a tube well.
The CWS team met with several survivors. Seliah Kandasamy is a carpenter by profession. His family members survived, yet he lost his house and tools. He worries where the family will live and how he will feed his family of six. He received food and clothing material from the camp.
Unlike Seliah Kandasamy, Chadrakala doesn’t want to go back. A young woman in her early twenties, she was making tea on that Sunday morning for her one-and-a-half-year-old child. The baby lost his life, and she was taken into one direction by the water while her husband went in another. Her baby’s body was buried with two children of her cousin. "I am scared of sea and I don’t want to go back. My husband also wants to stay away from the sea. We need a respectable livelihood and a shelter to start our life again."
Thavanthiran is a fisherman of only 17. At the time the tsunami struck, he was on his boat when people mentioned that sea was getting rough. Later he found out that seven members of his family died, including his parents, three young sisters, and two brothers. Their house was completely demolished. Still in shock, he can’t even cry anymore.
When the tsunami struck, Yohanathan was in Colombo as a daily wager. His wife, father, sister, and a child are dead. Twenty-nine years old, with a surviving son, he has to start his life from scratch.
Issues for Survivors
Even at this early stage, there are issues in the camps. There are reports of the sexual abuse of women and attempts of child trafficking. Disposal of dead bodies and the capacity of hospital mortuaries to deal with dead bodies is an ongoing problem. Women, who run much of the economy of the country, now have to concentrate more on house reconstruction and provide relief to traumatized families. The presence of U.S. marines and other foreign army personnel is worrisome for the population. The U.S. dollars coming in may benefit the wealthier segments of society, and the utilization of money needs to be monitored.
The CWS staff noticed some positive results in the midst of so many troubles and tragedies.
At the moment, military and political considerations are overshadowed by compassion and a sense of kinship and common purpose throughout all ethnic communities. Interfaith harmony is observed between Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists. There are stories of Buddhists and Christian leaders traveling from all the way South to East carrying relief materials for Muslims, or the followers of all the four religions saying last rites for their loved ones together.
