One
of the Red Cross Red Crescent priorities following the impact
of the tsunamis was to provide temporary shelter for thousands
of displaced people. Now, as the focus of operations shifts
from the relief to the recovery phase, the construction of permanent
housing is set to commence.
It is the monsoon season in Sri Lanka. In the stifling heat
scenes of hundreds of people waiting patiently to receive assistance
from the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) are regularly played
out up and down the coast. From their smiling, welcoming faces,
it is difficult to imagine the horror these people have faced.
In the Ampara district of Southern Sri Lanka dozens of temporary
huts sit adjacent to the coastal road a few metres short of
what was once the picturesque seaside town of Komari.
The huts and tents are a camp for displaced people, typical
of dozens that dot the tsunami-ravaged coastline of Sri Lanka.
Less typical is the smiling face of Amerasingham Thangarasa,
who shares a temporary shelter made of wood and metal sheeting
with his family. Despite his circumstances, Amerasingham is
a happy man; happy that his wife, Wimala and their 10 children
are safe and grateful for the assistance received from the Red
Cross Red Crescent.
Amerasingham is a labourer in his mid-late 40s. He and his family
lived in Komari, a mere 30 metres from the shore. When the tsunamis
struck on that fateful Sunday morning he had left to find work.
His wife and children fled when the first wave hit the coast.
Their home was completely destroyed.
According to Tharanga Pradeep, a Red Cross relief coordinator
in Ampara, within the first 48 hours of the disaster, SLRCS
volunteers fanned out across the district to help with immediate
relief and recovery efforts. One of the main priorities was
shelter for survivors. He says they initially provided tents,
mats, plastic jerry cans for water and even cooking utensils
in the first stage of operation.
The tent Amerasingham and his family received stands alongside
the temporary shelter the family now lives in. They use it to
store what meagre belongings they could retrieve from their
destroyed home as well as some of the relief items they received
from the Red Cross.
Today Amerasingham whiles away his hours in the camp, picking
up casual work where he can and helping other survivors fix
their temporary homes. Although he is thankful his family was
spared, he is also looking ahead to his children’s future.
Work is difficult to come by and the family is grateful for
the extra help his older son sends from working in the capital,
Colombo.
Many of his neighbours also survived and now live in the camp,
which brings him and his family at least some sense of security
and familiarity.
Nevertheless, life in the camp is difficult, and Amerasingham
is particularly concerned for his children, who range in age
from three to 22 years. Most of them attend a nearby school,
but at least one of them still suffers from the psychological
trauma caused by the disaster and is still afraid of the ocean.
Squatting in the shade of a giant rain tree, and watching his
children play, Amerasingham says his main wish now is to get
a house as soon as possible. The International Federation has
undertaken to build houses for 15,000 families displaced by
the devastating tsunami.
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Amerasingham,
his wife Wimala and three of their ten children outside
their temporary shelter, Komari, eastern Sri Lanka. Photo:
International Federation (p12951)
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