Great.
Indonesia. 79,900 +
Sri Lanka. 24,000 +
India. 10,000 +
16,000 estimated still missing.
INDONESIA. Bodies still lying decomposing on the streets. Many people still living on the streets.
Everything completely flattened in the city at the epicentre of the earthquake, previous population of 50,000. No signs of life.
Region that was home to hundreds of thousands almost completely wiped off the face of the earth.
Too remote to get a broad picture quickly.
Most important priority: clean water.
Focus is on the living. The dead can’t be helped anyway.
SRI LANKA. 3000 people crowded into a Buddhist temple, a pile of donated clothing sitting in the center, given to people who have literally nothing left. Many husbands and fathers still missing. Just never came home.
East coast – probably has more dead proportionately than anywhere else in the country. The force of the tsunami bent ceiling fan blades. Land wiped clean. Getting information from the east coast has been extremely difficult. Rubble is everywhere, piles and piles of it.
Many survivors are living in camps – very close quarters, and many have not yet seen doctors.
The president of Sri Lanka has announced that the government will help rebuild their homes, but away from the sea. My question – with what land? This country is crowded. It will be difficult to find land.
Galle. Huge devastation. Thousands of people have lost everything – all their families, all their possessions. Decomposing bodies are still found everywhere, and they’re smelling. Looters steal everything they can find.
Buddhist temples are now orphanages. Where else can the children go?
