Tsunami Reports from Oblates in Sri Lanka

December 29th, 2004

I’m sure that all of you have heard about the tragedy of the tsunami which hit many of the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. Many of you, no doubt, are wondering how this has impacted your brother Oblates. We have heard from Fr. Oswald Firth, OMI, who has visited the US several times, and, of course, met many of you. Below his letter are a set of updates sent by Fr. Eliseo (Jun) Mercado, OMI. If you feel called, there are many organizations collecting money for relief, including Catholic Relief Services. If we hear of further action/advocacy needed, we will certainly let you know.

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Oblate JPIC Office

DEAR GUILLERMO AND GENE,

SRI LANKA – A COUNTRY IN MOURNING HIT BY TIDAL TERROR

TIDAL TRAGEDY TRAUMATIZES TINY LANKA

Sri Lanka today is a country in mourning. According to figures available right now over 11,000 persons have lost their lives, but prognostics are that the number will rise to about 25,000 dead. Hundreds of thousands are without a shelter, and many are missing without a clue about their whereabouts. Today, unclaimed bodies will be buried in mass graves.

A tidal wave, also known as a ‘Tsunami’ (in Japanese), occurred on the 26th of December around 8.30 a.m. when below the ocean tremours rising up to 9.0 on the Richter Scale caused a mass of sea water rushing from about 4 km below the sea and traveling at the speed of 540 km an hour, hit the eastern coast of India (Chennai), and the Eastern, Southern and Western coasts of Sri Lanka. The destructive force of the killer tidal wave is said to be a hundred thousand times the force of the atomic bomb that was dropped over Hiroshima.

Most vulnerable among the victims were women and children who could not climb onto tall buildings or swim. A whole train with over one thousand passengers was simply swept off the rails and capsized. The rails were just a heap of twisted metal. Buses were floating as if they were plastic toys. Over 200 foreigners tourists were swept into the raging waves. Certain persons who were attending Sunday service in churches along the coastal belt were dragged into the foaming sea and disappeared. We have never had such a violently destructive natural disaster in the entire history of Sri Lanka.

On a personal note, over thirty of those persons who worked with us to reconstruct the East of Sri Lanka after the Cease-Fire have lost their lives. Those who are living have lost their domicile. They are on the streets or in refugee camps. I am still struggling to search for the meaning of “life” and “reconstructing life” through all this carnage.

The tidal wave has struck families irrespective of their race or religion. Aid and assistance are flowing into the country: India is sending us three ship load of food items and medicines, three helicopters to salvage floating dead bodies and transport relief. One helicopter will serve as a sort mobile hospital. The USA too has promised helicopters and relief. So too has Japan and Norway.

The De Mazenod House is providing shelter to about 2000 persons. What is most needed now are blankets for shelters, medicines, especially to treat the sick and prevent the spread of diseases, drinking water and books for children. We are trying to tap aid agencies known to us for this purpose.

Sorry, I am rather late to report the disaster. Our telephones are not functioning properly.

Please pass on this message to our brother Oblates and anyone inquiring about the situation in Sri Lanka.

Oswald Firth, omi

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Hello Folks,

Disaster of catastrophic proportion has again struck… killing hundreds of thousands along the coastal lines (within the Indian Ocean basin) of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Indonesia…

In the midst of endless tragedies … we, like Jesus in the cross, cry out in a LOUD voice… my God, my God… why have you abandoned us…! The tragedies… often make us wonder on the “absurdity of life” and our efforts… included!

News abound, rescue and assistance operations are currently being undertaken… You will find below some stories of the tragedies from some of our OMI Confreres…

Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, OMI (GS-JPIC)
27-12-04

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Good number of villages along the coastal belt is Catholic and so, in the southern most tip – Kottar diocese – the villages of Fr. Thiyagu, Fr. Cyril, Fr. Vincent are affected. Luckily not many lives are lost; heavy loss of property is reported.

One village, by name: Paramankenni (Fr. Chinnappan Sandhappan knows) where the Sacred Heart Sisters have a convent & a primary school, is completely washed away; and in Chennai ( Madras ) city where we are, along the beach, a lot of huts & houses are completely gone, also hundreds of people lost their lives. In all, in India alone, over 6 thousand people might have died. One consolation is that no one of the families of our Oblates have suffered any loss of life.

Thanking you for your concern,
Pathinathan, OMI (Delegation Superior – India)

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Catastrophe of Tidal Waves -26.12.2004

This terrifying incident that hit Sri Lanka especially the Northern and the Eastern coast in the morning of Sunday the 26th of December remains a nightmare. The death toll has arisen to nearly to ten thousand in the North alone now. The people in these costal areas were taken completely unaware. It was just a matter of a few seconds. Families in a bulk, especially women, children and the aged are missing in hundreds. Thousands are injured being simply drifted and twisted by the waves. Now the hospitals are overflowing with the injured and almost all those in the costal areas have lost homes and properties. The worst is the trauma of looking for the missing, identifying the dead and taking care of the remaining orphaned people.

The costal areas like Chakkoddai, Point-Pedro, Manalkadu, Chempeyampattu, Thalayady and Mullaithivu are also predominantly Catholic populated fishing villages. There are also Hindu and Muslim villages in the Trinco and Batticaloa districts. The Holy Family sisters and the priests whose residents were just along the sea were miraculously saved as they were all attending in the Church the Sunday Mass. The Sri Lankan Forces rooted in the so called High Security Zone (along the costal belt) were all uprooted some have died and many soldiers were also injured.

The volunteers, especially the youth in Jaffna, are in the forefront helping and giving assistance to the needy. The Oblate Priests and the Scholastics are doing their best in the Jaffna Peninsula. Most of the people are willing and do share what they have like food items, clothes, mats and pillows. Of course there is a shortage of medicine and hospital facilities. The Oblates also have joined the other volunteer forces in transporting goods and distributing help to the villages.

I have never heard or seen such a catastrophe that took place within a few minutes and taken absolutely innocent lives of our people, who have gone through enormous hardships, pains and losses due to the past civil war. What we saved – many lives and properties during the two years of ceasefire – have been swallowed up by the sea. The whole experience is shocking. So far Priests and Nuns who were at the costal areas also are saved miraculously but some have lost parents, brothers, sisters and relatives.

Why this has happened is an unanswered and deeply frustrating question. Most certainly we, the Oblates, will definitely get more involved in rebuilding these areas and healing the wounds of the affected, which will be our priority. I know you will get enough of official news but this is to communicate what came to my mind immediately.

Fr. A. Jeevendra Paul OMI
Provincial – Jaffna Oblates

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