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Sri Lankans Move Forward Despite Lingering Fears
by Rosemarie North in Matara , Special to RedCross.org
Monday, April 11, 2005 — Even before any warnings were issued about the giant earthquake that struck Indonesia on March 28th, people in Sri Lanka feared a second tsunami. Circling rumors of an impending disaster reached fever pitch the previous weekend, forcing the Red Cross to postpone relief distribution at one site.
That weekend’s poya (full moon) ceremony and an exceptionally high tide coincided with the three-month anniversary of the December 26th tsunami, a traditional time for Buddhists to commemorate deaths by praying and giving alms.
A woman in Welipitiya leaves the Red Cross distribution site laden with non-food items. |
The tsunami killed more than 31,000 people in Sri Lanka and displaced 500,000.
In the southern district of Matara, a planned distribution of sleeping mats, hygiene kits, jerry cans, bed sheets, mosquito nets and other relief goods had to be postponed from Friday to Saturday because so many people, including Red Cross volunteers, were absent.
“Many of our volunteers are young, and their parents took them away to the temple on Friday,” says Mr H. K. M. Premadasa, chairman of Welipitiya Red Cross division in Matara district.
“They were afraid there was going to be another tsunami so they went to the temple to settle their minds.”
Temples, mosques and churches were places of physical and spiritual refuge during the disaster and are still seen as safe sites. About 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s 18 million people are Buddhist; about 15 percent are Hindu, eight percent Muslim and seven percent Christian.
Srimathie Amarasekare, 62, a school registrar, lined up for relief on Saturday in the courtyard of Welipitiya branch. But she moved from the coast to her daughter’s home to avoid any possible tsunami over the weekend.
“People are saying there could be another disaster. Sometimes we get scared because we live near the sea, maybe 200 meters away,” she said.
When the alarm came on March 28th at about 11 pm, people were ready to warn others and evacuate their homes near the sea. Vehicles with loudspeakers drove through villages, horns sounded, temple bells rang, and text messages warned people to move inland.
The mass night exodus from the coast happened quickly and peacefully around Sri Lanka. By morning the risk of a tsunami was gone and people could resume their normal lives. Even three months on from the disaster, some people still feel under immediate threat.
A mural on a school wall, showing a virtuous circle, emphasizes the healing power of every day life. The motto at the bottom sums it up: “together we will move forward.” |
On March 28th, millions of people were exposed to a genuine threat.
While some people are already returning to normal life after December’s tsunami, others will take decades to overcome the trauma, says American Red Cross regional psycho-social delegate, Dr Joseph Prewitt-Diaz. Some will never recover.
The American Red Cross is one of six Red Cross or Red Crescent societies from around the world running psychosocial programs with the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society in 10 districts. In 2005, American Red Cross psychosocial programs are projected to reach more than 200,000 people on the island.
The solution, Prewitt-Diaz believes, from his experience years as a Red Cross disaster mental health expert, is to engage people repeatedly in communal activities close to the element they fear most – in this case, the sea.
“It’s getting people to do things near the water, practical activities like cleaning up the environment,” he says.
He tells the story of taking some children out in a boat. He jumped into the water and started playing with soccer balls. The children soon followed.
“That was the day the kids went back into the water. Originally it was because they were interested in the balls. But that’s how they overcame their fear.”
At a school opposite the Red Cross branch, paint splashes are evidence of this approach to psychosocial support. Children and adults worked together to paint chairs and desks in bright primary colors. As well as being a constructive communal activity, the blue and red furniture is a reminder of a new start.
A mural commissioned by the psychosocial team on a wall at the school emphasizes the healing power of every day life. Scenes from children’s lives show a virtuous circle, with messages in the Sinhala language such as “share your feelings,” “keep up your daily routine,” “eat well and take time to relax,” “exercise and play,” and “join others to keep your environment clean.”
The motto at the bottom is “together we will move forward.”
An accurate and effective warning system helps people feel secure enough to move on with every day life, together.
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