Notes from the Disaster Zone

A Survivors ask, ‘Why us?’ They wish they had been swept away

December 28, 2004

SEATTLE -- Christian relief and development organization World Vision has more than 5,000 staff in Asia -- 2,000 in India alone. Within hours of Sunday’s tsunami, staff living in stricken communities were helping their neighbors with relief and rescue -- and dispatching food, shelter and comfort to survivors.

Following are some of their stories.

SRI LANKA
Relief workers frequently hear survivors ask the question, "Why us?" Nearly everyone living along the island nation’s coastline has lost at least one family member -- often watching helplessly as loved ones were swept away. This nation of 20 million people lost some 20,000 men, women and children, the equivalent of nearly 300,000 Americans.

"One mother came into a relief center carrying her dead child. Doctors pleaded with her for some time before she would let go of the child."

"We are an island and our beautiful beaches have become a graveyard. We will find bodies buried under the sand for years."

Some community leaders also have been immobilized by shock. One World Vision worker said she wished she had been washed away instead of her family.

Children are wandering into relief camps alone. Some are merely separated from parents who might be in another camp. But too many have watched their parents die.

World Vision’s own staff have not been spared. One was in his car, trying to drive his family out of harm’s way. A wave struck the car, tipped it on its side and carried away the man's mother, mother-in-law and baby daughter.

INDIA
"It was over in a couple minutes. The ones who ran for their lives right away survived. The ones who stayed back to get things or people perished."

"Houses are broken, and there are bodies under the houses. The stench is terrible because not all of the bodies have been removed."

"Survivors are not going back to their communities because they fear another wave. The fear has really affected the people."

One major problem encountered by relief workers is the large number of children separated from their parents. They arrive at relief camps alone. So while they are dealing with pressing health and survival needs, relief workers and government officials also are faced with the task of reuniting children with their parents -- if the parents survived.

"Groups of children were playing cricket on the shore when they saw the waves approaching. They ran, but many were simply too small and too slow to outrun the waves."

THAILAND
World Vision works with street children in the resort city of Phuket. The children were on an outing when their driver saw the wall of water approaching. He raced away and the children were spared -- but their school was badly damaged.

For more information on World Vision’s response, or on ways the public can help, please phone 888-56-CHILD.

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