There is a very interesting site at www.arugambay.com. It was once a site promoting the area (called the official site of the abay association -a sort of a take off on the ebay name) that had the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka. Now, there is someone blogging on the site. If you want to see how the international effort is shaping up on  the east coast, check it out. Here is an excerpt:

07. 30 am : Good news !! French soldiers landed with several helicopters at Arugam Bay. They already build a medical center, teaching local army what to do and so on. Most people in the missing list without description are alive !!! I try to send all names from missing people for exact informations. Please be passioned. Several generators for electricity and all needed is working already. Food, drinking water and medical suplies is no problem at all anymore.

Please be sorry for my broken english. No experience in the last few years in writing. !!! More informations soon !!!\

——–

Sean McKay (on Dec 31st) wanted to contact someone on route to Sri Lanka. Contact him at this email address.

            ———-

Disregard Esther B’s request below:
She has contacted someone in Colombo

Can someone help these relief worker?
Esther Burley (on Jan 1st) wrote today about her uncle visiting Arugam Bay for relief work:

My uncle Richard will be travelling to Colombo then on to Arugam within the next few days (from England). Richard has lived and worked in the Eastern Provinces for the past 15 years mainly in the Pottuvil/ Arugam Bay area. He has considerable experience in dealing in situations like these (for theUN in Timor in 2000) and has great local knowlege. He already has water purification tablets, face masks, rubber gloves and is desperate to find out what else is needed and if anything can be obtained from Aid Agencies in or near Colombo. He would also like to know what is the best way to get Arugam from Colombo.

Contact her at eburley@btinternet.com

Continue reading →

STILL IN SHORT SUPPLY   (Dec 3oth 2004)

Shirani Saunders informs us that Water purification tablets are in short supply. See below: I spoke with the team that did go…………..consisted of 5 lorries & 17 double cabs taking tonnes of supplies. 6 doctors went along & will set up camp there. They had about 5 lakhs worth of medicines but the direst need is water purification tablets. Cos its impracticle to carry clean water all that distance & its never going to be enough. If there is any issue at customs bringing in the water purification tablets pl. give us a call & we can clear it without any duty etc. (it should be allowed but just in case) If there is excess cash the next items are pillows/rubber slippers which can be purchased from here. If there r any other big items that people want to send they can container it & we will clear it without any cost from this end as even warehousing has been arranged free of charge. ok. If you need to speak to her call her on hr mobile, at 94 773 088 705

Refugee situation in Hendala

Shirani Saunders, not a reporter by any means files this story from Tewatte on Dec29th. By day she is a ‘business development manager’ at Phoenix Ogilvy & Mather advertising. As we hear every day, people have literally left their offices, to go out and do whatever needs to be done. This is just one person operating almost like an NGO.

Hi Angelo,

Yesterday evening i was able to go to Tewatte where there are about 10,000
people – displaced/evacuees from the Negombo/Hendala area.I spoke to a
mother who was trying in vain to discover the whereabouts of her husband.
Just that morning she had manged to locate her 2 children who had been at
another centre but the last she saw of her husband(who is a fisherman) was
him watching his boat shatter on the shore.

We took bed sheets/plastic sheeting & medicines like Piriton/Paracetomol &
bandages etc. There was some sense of organising as many volunteers from
the church were seen distributing stuff. The church is full with refugees
and the surrounding rubber plantaion is also packed with families camp
style with basic plastic sheeting roofs – its really heartbreaking to see
little children put to sleep on plastic sheets out on the grass – theres a
shortage of mats here. Food seems to be available as once again there are
people bringing in boxes of cooked food to be distributed. Its amazing how
much the average ‘ not very well off ‘person is contributing to this
effort. Because really no big money has reached any of these places (yet)
its the average citizen  who is rallying round for the moment.

Our next effort is directed towards collecting medicines/dry rations to be
taken to Pottuvil – a private group is organising a little convoy to go to
the Lahugala nature reserve where evacuees from the arugam bay/Pottuvil
area are being sheltered. At least 10 of us from office will be joining. I
‘ not sure if you’ve been to Arugam Bay? We have holidayed there ever so
often & apparantly none of the guest houses/the fishing
village/roads/bridges are standing – its like a wasteland of mud & debris.
The four wheel club was there yesterday & one of the guys called in with
this infor – they ‘ve been helping with the evacuvation of people marooned
in the jungles of Panama – extreme tip –  south-east of the island.

Shirani Saunders

Continue reading →

STILL IN SHORT SUPPLY   (Dec 3oth 2004)

Shirani Saunders informs us that Water purification tablets are in short supply. See below: I spoke with the team that did go…………..consisted of 5 lorries & 17 double cabs taking tonnes of supplies. 6 doctors went along & will set up camp there. They had about 5 lakhs worth of medicines but the direst need is water purification tablets. Cos its impracticle to carry clean water all that distance & its never going to be enough. If there is any issue at customs bringing in the water purification tablets pl. give us a call & we can clear it without any duty etc. (it should be allowed but just in case) If there is excess cash the next items are pillows/rubber slippers which can be purchased from here. If there r any other big items that people want to send they can container it & we will clear it without any cost from this end as even warehousing has been arranged free of charge. ok. If you need to speak to her call her on hr mobile, at 94 773 088 705

Refugee situation in Hendala

Shirani Saunders, not a reporter by any means files this story from Tewatte on Dec29th. By day she is a ‘business development manager’ at Phoenix Ogilvy & Mather advertising. As we hear every day, people have literally left their offices, to go out and do whatever needs to be done. This is just one person operating almost like an NGO.

Hi Angelo,

Yesterday evening i was able to go to Tewatte where there are about 10,000
people – displaced/evacuees from the Negombo/Hendala area.I spoke to a
mother who was trying in vain to discover the whereabouts of her husband.
Just that morning she had manged to locate her 2 children who had been at
another centre but the last she saw of her husband(who is a fisherman) was
him watching his boat shatter on the shore.

We took bed sheets/plastic sheeting & medicines like Piriton/Paracetomol &
bandages etc. There was some sense of organising as many volunteers from
the church were seen distributing stuff. The church is full with refugees
and the surrounding rubber plantaion is also packed with families camp
style with basic plastic sheeting roofs – its really heartbreaking to see
little children put to sleep on plastic sheets out on the grass – theres a
shortage of mats here. Food seems to be available as once again there are
people bringing in boxes of cooked food to be distributed. Its amazing how
much the average ‘ not very well off ‘person is contributing to this
effort. Because really no big money has reached any of these places (yet)
its the average citizen  who is rallying round for the moment.

Our next effort is directed towards collecting medicines/dry rations to be
taken to Pottuvil – a private group is organising a little convoy to go to
the Lahugala nature reserve where evacuees from the arugam bay/Pottuvil
area are being sheltered. At least 10 of us from office will be joining. I
‘ not sure if you’ve been to Arugam Bay? We have holidayed there ever so
often & apparantly none of the guest houses/the fishing
village/roads/bridges are standing – its like a wasteland of mud & debris.
The four wheel club was there yesterday & one of the guys called in with
this infor – they ‘ve been helping with the evacuvation of people marooned
in the jungles of Panama – extreme tip –  south-east of the island.

Shirani Saunders

Continue reading →

STILL IN SHORT SUPPLY   (Dec 3oth 2004)

Shirani Saunders informs us that Water purification tablets are in short supply. See below: I spoke with the team that did go…………..consisted of 5 lorries & 17 double cabs taking tonnes of supplies. 6 doctors went along & will set up camp there. They had about 5 lakhs worth of medicines but the direst need is water purification tablets. Cos its impracticle to carry clean water all that distance & its never going to be enough. If there is any issue at customs bringing in the water purification tablets pl. give us a call & we can clear it without any duty etc. (it should be allowed but just in case) If there is excess cash the next items are pillows/rubber slippers which can be purchased from here. If there r any other big items that people want to send they can container it & we will clear it without any cost from this end as even warehousing has been arranged free of charge. ok. If you need to speak to her call her on hr mobile, at 94 773 088 705

Refugee situation in Hendala

Shirani Saunders, not a reporter by any means files this story from Tewatte on Dec29th. By day she is a ‘business development manager’ at Phoenix Ogilvy & Mather advertising. As we hear every day, people have literally left their offices, to go out and do whatever needs to be done. This is just one person operating almost like an NGO.

Hi Angelo,

Yesterday evening i was able to go to Tewatte where there are about 10,000
people – displaced/evacuees from the Negombo/Hendala area.I spoke to a
mother who was trying in vain to discover the whereabouts of her husband.
Just that morning she had manged to locate her 2 children who had been at
another centre but the last she saw of her husband(who is a fisherman) was
him watching his boat shatter on the shore.

We took bed sheets/plastic sheeting & medicines like Piriton/Paracetomol &
bandages etc. There was some sense of organising as many volunteers from
the church were seen distributing stuff. The church is full with refugees
and the surrounding rubber plantaion is also packed with families camp
style with basic plastic sheeting roofs – its really heartbreaking to see
little children put to sleep on plastic sheets out on the grass – theres a
shortage of mats here. Food seems to be available as once again there are
people bringing in boxes of cooked food to be distributed. Its amazing how
much the average ‘ not very well off ‘person is contributing to this
effort. Because really no big money has reached any of these places (yet)
its the average citizen  who is rallying round for the moment.

Our next effort is directed towards collecting medicines/dry rations to be
taken to Pottuvil – a private group is organising a little convoy to go to
the Lahugala nature reserve where evacuees from the arugam bay/Pottuvil
area are being sheltered. At least 10 of us from office will be joining. I
‘ not sure if you’ve been to Arugam Bay? We have holidayed there ever so
often & apparantly none of the guest houses/the fishing
village/roads/bridges are standing – its like a wasteland of mud & debris.
The four wheel club was there yesterday & one of the guys called in with
this infor – they ‘ve been helping with the evacuvation of people marooned
in the jungles of Panama – extreme tip –  south-east of the island.

Shirani Saunders

Continue reading →