St. Louis Post-Dispatch April 17, 2005

Sri Lankans display resilience


By WILLIAM RECKTENWALD
Special to the Post-Dispatch


AHANGAMA, Sri Lanka - The beachside grounds of the Hotel Club Lanka are neat and clean, the pool filled with fresh water, the freshly varnished reception counter drying in the bright midday sun.

As guests arrive, they are greeted by a smiling Nimal Ranaweera, the manager, who is clad in a beige golf shirt embroidered with the hotel emblem.

A husky waiter promptly arrives with a tray holding glasses of fresh orange juice and smiles, revealing a broken front tooth. "Tsunami!" he says, pointing to his mouth.

That scene a few weeks ago bore little resemblance to the disaster that struck this island nation on Dec. 26. Just after 9 a.m. a series of devastating waves struck the area, sending rushing water more than 20 feet high ripping through the hotel like a bulldozer.

In just 15 minutes the water of the tsunami that ravaged the low coastal areas of this tear-shaped island off the southeast coast of India claimed nearly 40,000 lives and left 100,000 families without homes.

Of the 14 nations in south Asia and Africa hit by the killer wave - triggered by an enormous earthquake below the Indian Ocean near Indonesia - Sri Lanka suffered the highest death rate.

The tsunami forever changed the lives of the Sri Lankan people. It is difficult to find anyone who has not lost a friend, a relative, a neighbor. And the wave devastated the country's key fishing and tourism industries.

Struggling toward normalcy

Kapila Chandra, a hotel worker, arrives quickly to carry luggage to the room. The large gash on his left foot that he received as he helped guests on the morning of the tsunami has healed well.

On the hotel grounds and in the distance are the sounds of construction: the pounding of nails and the buzz of power saws as the people of the village and the rest of the country struggle to return to normalcy.

More than repairs are under way in this village of about 3,000, where more than 200 lives were lost.

NKAR Travel, which owns the hotel, has undertaken a project that will construct 25 houses for those who lost their homes.

The company has been assisting local residents since the day of the tsunami.

Its managing director, Nilmin Nanayakkara, was among the guests that Christmas weekend, along with his two brothers and their families and tourists from a half-dozen countries.

"We are very thankful to the villagers who, in spite of their own houses being damaged and some losing their own family members, they came to help our guests," Nanayakkara said.

Nanayakkara works from his company headquarters 90 miles away in the capital of Colombo. During a recent interview at his wood-paneled office, he was dressed in a crisp white shirt with a stylish suit and tie and looked far different than he did on the morning of the tsunami when he jumped from a second floor balcony into swirling waters to rescue three villagers.

"We saw three people struggling, I knew that if I did not help they would drown, my son was yelling, 'Don't jump, daddy!' but I did. I am a good swimmer," he said. "With my brother's help we managed to save those three to get them to a ladder and to the roof."

"We are a resilient people"

Schools have returned to session, and neatly uniformed children in white shirts and royal blue shorts are receiving lessons in sometimes-improvised outdoor classrooms. After school, pickup games of cricket, the national sport, are seen everywhere.

The coastal highway south from Colombo is like a war zone. Buildings are flattened mile after mile. In Galle, just a few minutes' drive from Ahangama, the death toll neared 5,000. The coastal city, famous for its fort built by the Dutch in the early 1600s, was designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

North of Galle, four battered passenger rail cars stand on a railroad spur, a silent monument to one of the most horrible incidents that day. The crowded train was waiting on the siding as the wave hit and hundreds of villagers sought safety by climbing on top of the cars. The tsunami was so powerful that it rolled the cars over. More than 1,600 people died, officials said.

Heavy equipment righted the cars and put them back on the tracks, where people stop, stare, pray or just nod their heads before driving off. Nearby, new homes are being built to replace those destroyed, most of their residents living in tents.

In Colombo, Kumi Hettiarachchi, who covers social issues for The Sunday Times, talks about the spirit of the Sri Lanka people.

"We are a resilient people," she said. "I traveled to Galle a day after the tsunami hit and I saw despair and hopelessness, people with their heads in their hands but two weeks later you could see the difference.

"The support that they received made a difference. People were getting on buses and going down to help in any way that they could. We are a resilient people and we will pick up the pieces," she said. "As a people we have a great deal of strength."

Hettiarachchi also spoke of the sad realities of the tsunami.

"There are not that many orphans, the number is relatively small, about 1,800, because the children were the most vulnerable," she said. "They were the most vulnerable group, and so many of them died. It is very sad."

William Recktenwald teaches journalism at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He was visiting the Hotel Club Lanka when the tsunami hit and returned to Sri Lanka for 11 days last month.

Multipronged aid effort in Sri Lanka

By WILLIAM RECKTENWALD
Special to the Post-Dispatch

WELIGAMA, Sri Lanka - Capt. An Boogaerts steps from the cab of her red pickup that flies a small Belgian flag on the left front fender.

Boogaerts, an 18-year veteran of the Belgian army, has seen duty in the combat zones of Kosovo and Somalia, where body armor is the norm. But today in this tropical seaside town she is dressed in olive drab shorts and a matching T-shirt, her rank pinned to her belt.

"For the moment I have three workshops for boat engines and one for repairing boats," Boogaerts said. "Each engine workshop has one of my military men, two mechanics and two students, the Belgium Army is paying for all the parts to repair the engines."

Fishing is the major source of income in this coastal town, and the tsunami destroyed its fleet of fishing boats. The 20-foot waves smashed them like toys.

Water rushed more than a quarter-mile inland, demolishing hundreds of houses and businesses and nearly wiping out the cottage industry this town is famous for - lace making.

Days later, when Boogaerts received orders for Sri Lanka, she wondered what she would encounter. The country had lost nearly 40,000 people in just minutes. More than 500 died in Weligama alone.

"I thought that I would find people who were always crying and talking about the tsunami," she said, "but they have a lot of hope and they are working, so I hope in the future that they can go back to the sea and catch a lot of fish."

The Belgian army is leading one of many international aid efforts.

Down the road from Weligama, Pakistani soldiers repair the coastal highway washed away by the wave. Bulgarian veterinarians tend to stray cats and dogs, neutering and spaying them in a makeshift animal hospital near Galle.

With nearly 100,000 families living in tents, it is easy to see the variety of aid groups by simply reading names on the canvas: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, the United Nations, World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam and the Rotary Club, to name just a few.

On a high spot next to the ocean, an Italian flag flies in the breeze near a group of blue tents now home to 23 families.

A canvas shade creates a spot where residents gather for meals and conversation. Nearby, a white sheet is stretched on a board on which Sri Lankans write their comments and advice, most in native Sinhala, but some in English.

"Forget about the past and face the future bravely," reads one.

A 12-year old girl named Dilki holds her younger brother as she reads her comment.

"Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you."

"It was like a movie"

The United States also sent aid to the area. A Marine expeditionary unit began arriving from its base in Okinawa within a week after the tsunami. The 500 Marines were equipped for engineering projects. Navy SeaBees, Air Force helicopters and Coast Guard C-130 aircraft from the U.S. joined in the relief efforts.

The Marines arrived on the USS Duluth, a 569-foot amphibious transport dock, and two larger ships that were configured to transport supplies. They anchored off Koggala beach between Galle and Weligama, and their landing is already a legend among Sri Lankans.

"When the US soldiers came it was like the showing of a film, a movie, but this time it was alive," said Nalin Dhammika. "Every day they would come to the beach on their boats and they land with jeeps and trucks. Koggala beach became a place to watch. Every day people, more and more, would come to watch, and we are very happy to see them."

The American troops used helicopters to deliver supplies and heavy equipment to clear the coastal highway.

The U.S. Agency for International Development built 10,000 units of transitional housing, tent-like dwellings with lower walls of cinder block.

It was one of these camps near Weligama that former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton visited.

Their visit, too, became a celebrated event. "The roads were all closed and they arrived in seven large helicopters," Dhammika said.

Perhaps some of the most effective help is coming from small groups, often based in European countries. For years, Sri Lanka has been a vacation destination for European tourists drawn to the beautiful beaches and bargain prices.

One of those groups is headed by Pim van den Berg, who lives in Holland.

"My wife saw the disaster on TV and said we have to do something," van den Berg said.

In February, van den Berg traveled to Sri Lanka and bought bicycles, sewing machines, pots and pans for local residents.

He met with local officials and contacted a businessman, Kelum Ramanayaka, who would supervise the construction of two new homes and help identify those who needed them.

So far the group has collected more than $50,000 from contributors in their region of Holland.

Recently, an elderly man stood watching four bricklayers working on one of the homes, one that soon will be his. As one worker mixed sand water and concrete and others placed the concrete blocks in the outline of the small home, the old man smiled and pointed to the nearby tent where he now lives. His house, and wife, were swept away by the tsunami.

Each house will be 500 square feet and wired for electricity. The homes will cost about $4,000 each and are typical for working class Sri Lankans, where wages of two or three dollars per day are common.

"After they finish the first two houses the Dutch people will return," Ramanayaka said. "And if they like them they promise to build eight more."

Brush with death has given couple reason to live

By William Recktenwald
Special to the Post-Dispatch

AHANGAMA, Sri Lanka — Anne and Nick Wynne-Morgan were among the guests at the Hotel Club Lanka when the tsunami hit. Like the others, they have lasting memories and changed lives as a result.

The Wynne-Morgans were at the hotel along with 14 family members that spanned three generations. They had migrated to Sri Lanka from England amonth earlier, planning to begin a tourism business and opening an orphanage. Their 3-1/2-year-old daughter, Esther, disappeared during the wave, and her family feared the worst.

“After two or three hours I began to wonder if she was going to be found alive,” Nick said in a recent interview. “We began to find bodies in the classrooms of the school across from the hotel,” he recalled, near tears at the recollection. “At that point I began to think it was only a matter of time until I find my own daughter.”

As it turned out, Esther had been plucked from the water and carried inland by two hotel workers. She was reunited with her family hours later.

The family’s near-tragedy changed their priorities.

Now the tourism business the couple hoped to open is on the back burner.

“We can focus on the children who are in the devastated areas and do things to help meet the needs of children who are now in the care of a widowed mother or perhaps the father,” Nick said. “There are not traditional orphans but they still need assistance. We hope to have a day camp type of facility, one where there can be trauma counseling and provide the children with a safe environment where they can learn group skills.”

Anne and Nick plan to call their project “Camp Coconut,” because it will be built a safe distance inland in the coconut groves. Already they have received contributions from friends that should allow them to buy the property near Weligama, just a few miles south of the hotel.

Once the land has been purchased, some 30 volunteers, mostly from the United Kingdom, have said they will come to Sri Lanka to help in the construction project.

“We are fortunate that we have friends in Weligama so we will have facilities where volunteers can stay,” Nick said.

“From one point, it has been an absolute privilege to have been here for the tsunami and to survived it,” he said. “It truly has given purpose to our lives.” ¶

For more information on “Camp Coconut” go to http://campcoconut.blogspot.com

Click here to return to William Recktenwald's blog