Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Victor Goonetilleke, a long time correspondent to Media Network, lives just
outside the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. He sent this e-mail on Tuesday
morning.

The tragedy is horrendous. Some of the video is frightening and so pathetic.

All of us are OK but working flat out trying hard to organize some emergency
amateur radio communications. We're also doing some food distribution and
things like that. Since the affected areas are so widespread in the country,
things are very hard.

Everyone within 1000 metres or so of the coast have been badly affected
right along the coast from North to South on the eastern side of the island.
In some areas as far as 2-3 kms inland. On the Western side not so bad,
about 100 metres from the coast is seriously affected. As the quake was on
the Eastern side of the island and the tidal waves came from the East/ South
East. You have to be here to see the vast destruction..frightening.. Even
though my family or very close friends have not been affected, we know too
many who have perished. Some heart breaking stories are aleady emerging.

More at http://criticaldistance.blogspot.com/