The sea that usually lapped near Eka's front door was gone. Our reservation falling through – was it just a coincidence or was something greater in control of my family’s fate that day? We spent the next three days in a daze of guilty relief at the hotel that I had so grudgingly accepted but was now immensely grateful for. The beach hotel that I had so angrily been arguing for a reservation with just a few days earlier was completely destroyed at least 50 guests had died. It was a very strange feeling knowing we were safe, whilst others just a few miles away were losing their lives. It was dubbed in Tamil so I couldn’t understand it, but as I started reading the English subtitles, I couldn’t believe my eyes. As we sipped our tea, a small TV showing BBC news in the background caught my eye. Something wasn’t quite right.Īfter a while we stopped at a little tea shop to stretch our legs and have a rest. there were people walking on the road carrying their belongings. By about 11am we were over halfway, but we noticed something strange. On Boxing Day morning we started our journey out of Colombo at 8am, no longer heading to the south coast but moving inland instead. Eventually I found a hotel in the centre of Sri Lanka able to house us, although it was far from the beach I longed for. In a last minute panic I got hold of the yellow pages and called all the hotels along the south coast, hoping someone would be able to take us in.Īll the beach hotels were full, and after several fruitless calls I hesitantly agreed to explore our options inland. I was devastated, having left the snow with the express intent of spending some time in the sun. Christmas Eve was spent cheerfully wrapping up presents, and then less cheerfully calling the beach hotel to re-confirm my reservation for our family stay on Boxing Day.Īfter much frustrated discussion, it was clear that the hotel had made a mistake and lost my original reservation. My aim was to spend time with a few members of my extended family and sun myself on a beach somewhere. On 19 December 2004 I left my home in Edinburgh and flew to Sri Lanka to surprise my mother for Christmas. Ten years on, we’ve gathered a collection of stories from staff and survivors to tell you the tale of destruction, loss, and rebuilding. In response to the disaster World Vision launched its largest ever relief operation across five countries simultaneously. A decade ago today, a massive undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami that affected 12 countries and took the lives of more than 230,000 people.
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