How did the Sri Lanka tsunami change Sri Lanka?

Answer 1

In the eastern Sri Lankan Ampara District alone, more than 5,000 people died. A holiday train, the "Queen of the Sea", was struck by the tsunami near the village of Telwatta as it traveled between Colombo and Galle carrying at least 1,700 passengers, killing all but a handful on board. About 1,000 more dead were counted in Mullaitivu and Vadamaradchi East. At Trincomalee in the northeast, where the tsunami reached more than 2 km (1.25 mi) inland, 800 were reported dead. About 69 dead were counted at Batticaloa in the east. The naval base at Trincomalee was reported to be submerged.

The agricultural sector was affected seriously. 259 km² of paddy land was destroyed in the northern, eastern, southern and western coastal belts. In addition, the extensive salinization of paddy lands rendered them unsuitable for paddy cultivation. Rubbish was also deposited on paddy lands. A large number of agricultural vehicles and equipment were destroyed and canals and drains were blocked. Underground sources of water were salinated.

Across the island, collections were taken for those who had lost everything. Vans with PA systems drove around calling on people to give whatever they could - money, clothes, bottles of water and bags of rice and lentils.

Apart from homes, many hotels, as well as shops, were reported to have been damaged. Hotels along the south coast were full of both foreign tourists and Sri Lankans making use of the long Christmas weekend. Twenty thousand soldiers were deployed in government-controlled areas to assist in relief operations and maintain Law and Order after sporadic looting. Curfews had been imposed in some areas to curb looting. Chinese light T-72A anti-personnel mines, left after the two-decade civil war, were feared to have been washed up and spread by the surge of water. The Norwegian Peoples' Aid Organization assembled a team of mine sweepers to assess the situation.