Tsunami Diary: Today I took some time out to meet the Global Crossroads co-ordinator, Paul Ferrira, here in Sri Lanka, to get some more information about the work the organisation is doing.
Global Crossroads is managing the construction of a number of houses in different villages in and around Galle on the south west coast. In Dadalla, about 4km from Galle, two houses have already been completed and residents have moved in.
There is a small celebratory ceremony when a family move into a house and volunteers are invited to watch. Another house is under construction on this site and the neighbours are all pitching in to help us. In the villages of Piyadigama and Beligaha, some 3km from Galle, one house is being built. Both are at the plastering and painting stage and should be completed by the end of the month.
Since the tsunami the Sri Lankan government has stated that no houses are to be built within 100 metres of the coastline. Some of the families whose houses were destroyed were within this perimeter and so must be relocated. A sizeable piece of land was purchased in a village called Beattie, which is about 5km from Galle. Here, work has started on four houses and building is due to start in April on a further six houses. Regulations will ensure that people who are allocated houses cannot immediately sell them again.
Thirty-five families have been selected by Global Crossroads for rehousing to date. In order to get a new house a family must submit an application form explaining its case. They must include the number of family members killed by the tsunami, the number of people in their family and a police report where necessary.
Priority is given based on these factors and on the strength of the application.
Paul brought me to a place called Thalapitya today where we met the Haniffa family (seven members) whose house is being rebuilt on the same site as their old home. They lost their grandmother, M.J.K. Beehi, in the tsunami.
Extensive research and work is also being done to ensure that adequate drainage is provided to the many refugee camps to combat the threat of flooding during the monsoon. Last night, we had a small taste of what is to come in the next few weeks. Within about two minutes the sky had turned from a bright blue to a dark grey and sheets of rain flooded the streets of Galle. Work will start soon in the village of Paraliya, where the train derailed and hundreds were killed, on temporary and permanent housing. Shortly, Global Crossroads will be introducing a programme called "Sponsor a Family" allowing people to provide support for a particular family, helping them with necessities during the rebuilding effort and also to purchase furniture when they move into their new home.