WYE VALLEY TSUNAMI FUND

News from KD in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Tuesday 25 th October2005

Given the best endeavours of London Gatwick and the rest of Europe’s air traffic controllers despite leaving 2 hours late we arrived in Colombo early. Our scheduled 1hour 50 minute shop in Abu Dhabi was reduced to a run across the tarmac and less than fifteen minutes after landing we were back in the air again. Only about 50 passengers on an A320 so plenty of room to stretch out and get some sleep and we arrived in Colombo 10 minutes early at 4:50am.

After breakfast in Galle Face Hotel Colombo we caught the train to Galle a three hour journey and despite a huge increase in fare some 20% it still cost less than 60p each. At times it made some of Michael Palins adventures seem like a walk in the park. Fun.

We arrived safely in Galle and were met by Sam and Wasanthi and then on to Unawatuna. Everybody was pleased to see us once again and we spent the rest of Sunday settling in. It was Mrs request that we have the only room in the hotel with a sea view. One hundred and twenty seven steps to bed. I ran up and down those steps a hundred times between Boxing and and New Year but it seems a lot further now.

Monday the weather was fantastic and I admit that we spent the day on the beach having gone over 48 hours without sleep, a bit of time on the beach was good and we went for a boat ride and did some snorkelling.

Monday night and most of yesterday it rained and I mean rained almost non stop. It seems that here also the climate is changing. The wet weather period has been relatively dry and now it is supposed to be the dry season it is wet, but at least it is warm.

We bought two sewing machines yesterday and they are already being put to good use. We have also bought a bicycle for a man in the village who still is riding his old bike to take his children to school. It was found two weeks after the tsunami in a pretty sorry state no brakes and wobbly wheels.

We also went and saw what was probably one of the worst sights we have seen to a date. A family of nine, two of the children suffering from chronic asthma living in appalling conditions with the rain pouring through the roof. Our wood shed infinitely superior. We went and bought tarpaulins and put them over the house as the sun was setting and darkness rapidly approaching.

Forget all Health and Safety the 7 year old son in the blink of an eye was up on the ridge helping to drag the sheet over the house. At least they were dry inside for the first time in who knows how long.

The family have a new house in the making. Sam had used some of the money that we left with him to pay for the foundations to be constructed. Other people have made other donations, the walls and the first floor concrete slab finished. Work has stopped as they have run out of funds. We will be trying to sort out the finishing of the project. Getting people to do anything here can be very frustrating. Life here is a different pace, things go slower and as there is so much to do with only limited resources but we ill see what we can do.

We are going to the schools and mental home tomorrow so will be able to see for ourselves how things are going.

Many of the tents that were here in March have gone and the people re located into temporary housing, wooden sheds. It would also seem that the building of more permanent housing has started.

In March the people were really upbeat and getting on with sorting out an existence. Now I think to many the enormity of what happened is beginning to sink in. Talking with Sam yesterday (He has spent the last 9 month helping people like us spend money) and earning very little money he said that people have told him ‘he should have counselling his reply to that is ‘if I told people what I has seen, what I had done and the effect of the tsunami has had on the village people they would think I am crazy, put me on drugs and lock me away in a lunatic asylum’

We are seriously thinking of helping him rebuild his bar/restaurant on the beach. He has helped so many people and it is evident that he needs help as well. He may have been over looked by us.

Off to do some shopping but will send further information later.