Narrative Report from Tucker in Sri Lanka on January 12, 2005

January 12, 2005

Today we ventured down to the Southern coast and Galle, one of the hardest hit towns on the coast of Sri Lanka. The ride was a journey through a land of destruction, and it was hard to imagine how, given that the government has made vast strides in clearing roads and removing vehicles and buses from trees, this terrain must’ve looked only a week ago.

Our driver led us into tragic stories of people clinging from the tops of rooves when the water swept out, playing fields strewn with the bodies of young boys who had been playing soccer that early morn. Indeed the stench of putrid water in Galle was nearly unbearable even two weeks after the tsunami.

Scenes of hope greeted us as well. We met a team of self-motivated international volunteers from Italy, Australia, the U.K. and the United States who had simply chosen to ‘move in’ and help reconstruct a school. One thing they mentioned struck me particularly – “the people are walking around, numbed and in shock. They still can’t get over the tragedy of what has happened to them. And so we’re trying to help get them back on their feet.”

The camps for displaced persons were particularly poignant – families crowded into makeshift huts and dependent on the mercy of local and international NGOs to feed, clothe and house them. One wonders how they will ever manage to rise, like a phoenix from the ashes.

Tomorrow I will visit Ratnapura, to convene with the teachers and alumni of Serendib, and hope to formulate a plan as to how we can best plan a relief effort which will be unique in addressing some of the unfulfilled needs of these tsunami survivors.

Tucker