Tsunami stories remembered Sri lanka part 3

Life after the 2004 tsunami

In the days, weeks and months after the tsunami finding adequate shelter became the biggest struggle for tsunami survivors. You can read and see some more of my pictures from Sr Lanka via the link below.

Sri Lanka Tsunami 2004 revisited part 3

A brother and sister live in a ramshackle shelter after surviving the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka

Tsunami 2004 stories revisited part 2

Mother and child - The photo that stays with me

A mother cradles her mentally retarded son  at a tsunami relief shelter Pottuvil Sri Lanka

I spent over a month in Sri Lanka covering the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. I saw many heart wrenching scenes and heard of of great tragedy from the loss of life. One photo remains strong in my memory which I made in the township of Pottuvil on Sri Lanka's east coast.
I was actually leaving the area with a journalist colleague when we noticed an old building with people milling around off to the side of the road we were on. We decided to stop to see what the people were doing and found the building was being used as a temporary shelter for people that had lost their homes in the tsunami.
We were speaking with some people who were recounting their terrible stories to us when I noticed a young woman sitting on the floor cradling a child in a corner of the room. I approached the woman and she explained her son had a disability and that she had out run the tsunami with her son in her arms and survived. I thought to myself if life wasn't hard enough for this mother and child and now they were faced with an uncertain future. In the days after the tsunami fresh water and food was in extremely short supply and medical care was non existent while communities waited for help from humanitarian aid agencies. You can read more about this story and others on my website blog HERE

2004 tsunami Sri Lanka revisited

Man and dog survive the wave

Working as a photojournalist I was in Sri Lanka about 48 hours after the tsunami digested most of the countries southern and eastern coastline. I was the first international photojournalist to get into some of the remote eastern areas. This post and a few to follow will recount some of the tragedy as I recorded it for international media.

At Arugam Bay a local fisherman sits where his house once stood

 I'd managed to find a way to the small township of Arugam Bay on Sri Lanka's east coast after an 18 hour trip negotiating traffic mayhem and blocked roads. I came across Kirya a local fishermen that was wondering about through the rubble with a small dog. When I asked him what had happened he recounted an incredible story of survival but also of terrible loss.
Kirya had actually taken refuge in a coconut palm as the tsunami swept into the village. When he finally climbed down from his perch the village he knew no longer existed, his home and family washed away. Somehow through all the massive tidal surge Kirya's small dog survived and was found a kilometer from where the home once stood.

Tsunami damage at Arugam Bay 2004

You can read more about this story and others on my website HERE.