Effect of The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake On Sri Lanka - Aftermath

Aftermath

The main highway in the south of Sri Lanka runs along the coast and was closed in the aftermath of the tsunami, delaying relief supplies. A huge initial effort to deliver supplies was made by large numbers of private individuals filling their own vans and pickup trucks with food, clothing and bottled water and driving to affected areas.

In Sri Lanka the first reports of measles and diarrhoea reached authorities, renewing fears of a deadly epidemic. However, relief operations based in the capital Colombo are well underway.

On the morning of Thursday 30 December the Indian government erroneously warned of another possible tsunami. The false alarm caused general panic in relief camps and incited traffic jams on roads leading from the coast.

The science fiction author and scuba diver Sir Arthur C Clarke, who lives in Colombo, the capital, has issued a statement saying that Sri Lanka "lacks the resources and capacity to cope with the aftermath". Clarke reported that his family and staff were safe, "even though some are badly shaken and relate harrowing first hand accounts of what happened", and that his diving school (Arthur C. Clarke Diving School) "Underwater Safaris" at Hikkaduwa had been destroyed (see this link).

Sri Lanka's most popular sport is cricket, and the Australian, Bangladeshi, English and South African cricket teams have already announced that they are making donations to the humanitarian effort in Sri Lanka and other Asian countries. The Indian cricket team has pledged funds to the humanitarian effort in southern India. The cricketing world has already announced that two one-day matches will be played to raise further funds.