A Close Look at the Effects of the Tsunami

Where does the time go. We have returned from our weekend in the
southern part of Sri Lanka and back to St. Benedicts. Our weekend was great. We were saddened to see the devistation caused by the Tsunami yet glad to witness first-hand the resiliency of the Sri Lankan people and the world humanitarian community in rebuilding this region.

The picture depicted here was one of the beaches where 15 minutes of a tectonic event originating off the coast of Sumatra caused devistation never before experienced in this small country of 20 million people.

The following are some facts and statistics on the devistation of the Tsunami:

HUMAN TOLL
• Number of fatalities: 35,322. (Source: Government of Sri Lanka, November 2005.)

• Number of IDPs: 516,150. (Source: Government of Sri Lanka, November 2005.)

• 14 out of 28 districts were affected. (Source: Government of Sri Lanka, August 2005.)

IMPACT ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
• 40,000 widows, orphans, elderly, and disabled individuals were left in need of long-term or permanent income support. (Source: International Labor Organization [ILO] Sri Lanka, June 2005.)

• 65 percent of men have regained some source of income and 55 percent of women have. (Source: ILO Sri Lanka, June 2005.)

DAMAGES AND LOSSES
• In the affected areas, 90 percent of working men and women lost their sources of livelihood. (Source: ILO Sri Lanka, June 2005.)

• 23,449 acres of cultivated land were affected, including 9,000 acres of paddy, 645 acres of other crop fields, 27,710 home garden units, 559 acres of vegetable farms, and 317 acres of fruit trees. (Source: Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO]; Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, August 2005.)

• 65,275 houses were completely damaged and 38,561 houses partially damaged but are still habitable. (Source: TAFREN, November 2005.)

• 16,919 fishing boats were damaged or destroyed, representing approximately 75 percent of the total fishing fleet. (Source: Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture; FAO Sri Lanka.)

• Some 100 hospitals/dispensaries, Ministry of Health offices, and health centers were completely or partially damaged. (Source: World Health Organization [WHO] Sri Lanka, August 2005.)

• A total of 195 educational facilities including universities and vocational training centers were damaged with 59 schools totally destroyed and 117 partially damaged. (Source: TAFREN, August 2005.)

• More than 60,000 wells were contaminated or destroyed. (Source: World Bank/Asian Development Bank/Japan Bank of International Cooperation, Joint Needs Assessment.)

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
• Total estimated value of damages: $1.5 billion. (Source: Joint Needs Assessment, January 2005.)

• Total estimated needs for long-term recovery: $2.15 billion.

• Total funds pledged for long-term recovery: $2.95 billion. Funds from NGOs comprise approximately $853 million of this figure. The remainder comes from multilateral and bilateral donors. (Source: External Resources Department, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Government of Sri Lanka, November 2005.)

• Total funds secured for long-term recovery: $2.24 billion. (Source: External Resources Department, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Government of Sri Lanka, November 2005.)

• Outstanding pledges (promised but not yet secured) from multilateral and bilateral donors: $710 million. (Source: External Resources Department, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Government of Sri Lanka, November 2005.)