Tsunami, 10 Years After The Wave

AUG | 26 Dec, 2014 01:36AM | Leave a comment

The paradise beaches of south east Asia were altered forever on 26 December 2004. More than 250000 people died on this day. Can't imagine it was 10 years ago that this happened. I can still remember waking up on that day to this news. The devastating tsunami, sparked by a 9.1-magnitude undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, smashed down on 14 countries on Boxing Day 2004, and Sri Lanka was one of them.



The need for an early warning system and to be better prepared to manage disasters to save lives and livelihoods was the biggest lesson learnt in the aftermath of the tsunami 10 years ago. According to the Disaster Management Center of Sri Lanka, the country now has better early warning systems to detect tsunamis and other disasters and is better equipped to respond to future disasters.



Many development partners came forward to support Sri Lanka in the emergency phase and recovery phase of the tsunami. It was children who have been hardest hit by the tsunami. Some lost their parents, some lost their siblings and some lost their whole family. Founders of charity, "Orphans for Orphans" Rob and Paul Forkan is building an orphanage in Sri Lanka. They lost their parents in 2004 tsunami while they were on holiday in Sri Lanka with their parents and two younger siblings. Rob and Paul are successful entrepreneurs who owns a flip-flop business in Britain. 10% of their profit from the business is given to orphans just like them around the world through their charity "Orphans for Orphans"



Kim Peatfield, her husband Tristan were on holiday in Tangalle, Sri Lanka with their daughter Isabella. Isabella sadly lost her life in the tsunami. In memory of their daughter, Kim and Tristan, who now have an eight-year-old son Louis, set up the Isabella Peatfield Memorial Fund which has raised thousands of pounds over the last decade, paying for a new children's ward at a hospital in Tangalle, where they had been staying.



26 of December will be in our heart throughout our lives. It's the day that we learnt how devastating the sea can be. If you know a story of someone helping people who was affected by tsunami, share with us and let others know about them.