Ships have been swamped and sunk.
As a side note, all regular programming has been cancelled until further notice on tv. It’s all news, every channel. Interestingly enough, the news on tv is much older than what’s available on the internet. The television is reporting 300 dead in Sri Lanka, whereas internet reports indicated anywhere from 1500-3500 dead in Sri Lanka.
The biggest problem in Sri Lanka – and that’s caused so many to die here – is that so many people live right on the beach. There’s no land available, so they live wherever they can. And a lot of people live in structures that are no more than four posts, leaves for a roof, and perhaps corrugated iron sheets leaning against the posts for walls. Homes like we’re used to in the west are not affordable enough for the poor. We have church members who live in huts in the jungle who consider themselves lucky to have a roof.
Death tolls are now reporting as over 5,000. And climbing.
Another problem is that there are so many tourists right now in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, etc. Because they were escaping the cold winters elsewhere and wanted to celebrate Christmas and New Years where it’s warm. It’s going to take a while before a complete list of the missing is compiled.
This all just makes me want to cry.
