Sri Lankans work across religious lines to help with recovery
|
A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International
Mary Sriyoyogaveni and David Shanmugarajah lost three family members, and their home, in Sri Lanka.
|
| Mary
Sriyoyogaveni and David Shanmugarajah, a married couple who lost their
home, a daughter and two grandchildren to the Dec. 26 tsunami, carry a
pot of rice they cooked for themselves and other victims living in the
Holy Trinity Methodist Church in Kaddaively. The shelter, in the
northern Sri Lankan province of Jaffna, has received food and other
emergency supplies from Action by Churches Together International. A
UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International. Photo #05-020.
Accompanies UMNS story #017. 1/10/05 |
Jan. 10, 2005An ACT Report
By Rainer Lang* BATTICALOA,
Sri Lanka (UMNS) — Abdul Mahid stands looking at what is left of his
house. Unlike his neighbors, he is not searching through the rubble –
all that remains of his home. "More than 50 of my neighbors died," he says. He is still dazed at having escaped the force of the waves with his life. Abdul
Mahid lived and owned a store in Kattandkudy in Batticaloa, on the east
coast of Sri Lanka. Like other shop owners in the area, he lived close
to the beach. Whole areas of his town and villages nearby were
obliterated by the tsunami that crashed into the coastline Dec. 26. In
this part of town, the Muslim Quarter, 1,000 residents have been
confirmed dead, says the Rev. Nadarajah Arulnathan, who is coordinating
area relief efforts for the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka – a
member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together International. For
this Methodist pastor, the sea is now something to fear. The tsunami
claimed the lives of his sister and 18 other relatives.
|
A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International
The Rev. Jedarani Peter carries a box of toothbrushes for survivors of the tsunami.
|
| Near
Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, the Rev. Jedarani Peter, a Methodist, carries
emergency supplies - a box of toothbrushes - destined for survivors of
the Dec. 26 tsunami. The supplies were provided by ACT through the
National Christian Council of Sri Lanka. Peter's church served as a
distribution center for refugee shelters in the Batticaloa area. A UMNS
photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International. Photo #05-023. Accompanies
UMNS story #017. 1/10/05 |
"I get afraid when I
see the sea," he says. But he has little time to think and reflect on
the devastating impact of the giant waves. From early in the morning,
until late at night, he is busy organizing disaster relief.The
National Christian Council/ACT is heading the coordination of medical
assistance to 10 camps in the Batticaloa area, where about 5,500 were
killed. Five of the camps are in fact church buildings – all packed with
people sleeping on thin mats on the bare floor. They had no time to
grab anything; they simply fled for their lives and now have nothing but
the clothes they are wearing. About 1,400 have sought shelter in the
Pentecostal church and 1,800 in the Methodist church. "It is a big challenge to feed them," Arulnathan says. A
truckload of relief items, including food and clothes, was dispatched
Jan. 6 to the Batticaloa region to supplement what had already been
distributed to people displaced by the disaster. Suganthi
Manarotathan says that there are not enough mats, clothes and bottles
for the babies. The 23-year-old woman has two small children and is
staying in the Pentecostal church. But there are also the orphans who need care, Arulnathan says. He is caring for two children whose family died in the disaster. He
is pleased that nothing beyond logistical challenges have stood in the
way of relief efforts in the area – not caste, ethnicity or religious
affiliations. "People help each other," he says, describing how Muslims,
Buddhist and Christians have all come together to respond to the
emergency. "But
people are not ready to go back," Arulnathan says. The survivors were
traumatized, and some people suffered such severe shock that they have
not even come forward to ask for assistance, he says.
|
A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International
A young tsunami survivor poses in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.
|
| A
young tsunami survivor poses in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. A UMNS photo by
Paul Jeffrey, ACT International. Photo #05-021. Accompanies UMNS story
#017. 1/10/05 |
"People do not talk
much at the moment," he says, adding that they need trauma counseling.
"Some ask themselves why they could escape. And then there is nobody to
help them identify those who died."The
people have been suffering for years, the pastor says. "They were
affected by the 20-year long civil war, by regular floods (such as) the
ones in the last three months, and now by the tsunami." All
of this is made worse by the fact that many people are still missing.
The huge waves carried people for long distances, and many may still be
covered by sand where they eventually came to rest. Some areas are still
not accessible because of the danger of landmines that were washed out
from the military camps and spread randomly. Whole areas must be cleared
of these mines first. The
sheer scope of the work that remains is staggering – and clearing the
compound of one of the Methodist churches close to the town is only one
of many tasks still to be undertaken. Beyond the church compound lies a
wasteland. *Lang works for Diakonie Emergency Aid/ACT International. This story was provided by Action by Churches Together at http://act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2005/dtsrilanka0305.html.
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to
save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
|
Korean News
