The coastal drive south from Colombo to Talalla Bay unveils area after area of devastated land, where little is being done in the way of reconstruction. The people sit, where their houses once stood, waiting for aid to reach them. That promised by the government is at the moment still in planning.
The people village by village are desperate for help and so drawn to us each time we stop, hoping that we have something to offer. Their innate understanding is surprising. After explaining that we were on our way to help another village, they replied courageously “yes you help your village, we wait for somebody else to come and help ours.” This we have learned is the only way to achieve progress. To start with a small area that you can feasibly manage and rebuild from there.
The further south we headed the deeper the devastation became. Boats are torn and strewn along roadsides with rubble and debris from collapsed buildings.
We drove through Telwatta on the drive down which hosted the phenomenal de-railed train wreck, and offered our first insight into the volume of devastation. The desolate, crumpled frame of solid iron had been re-erected and of the 2000 (counted) passengers on board, only 3 survived. This site has become a shrine, both to the unnamed victims of the wreck and the effects of the tsunami itself.
We continued on through more towns and witnessed further ruin. Havoc had been wreaked everywhere and the people were left with little hope.
