REPORT 1 - SRI LANKA'S TSUNAMI DISASTER

By PDG Lion Gordon "Gordy" Lazenby
17th January 2005

Saturday 15th

I arrived in Colombo in the early hours of the morning with the 2 cases of emergency medical aid as a small gift for the lions of MD306 from the lions of District 105C.

I had a telephone conversation with PID Chuck Wijenathen, COC Marcella and DG Paddy Withane on Saturday morning and agreed to visit District 306C with DG Kassella Mahendra de Silva who's district has approximately 60% of the collateral damage ie: 54000 houses totally destroyed the north east Trincomalee which is on the east coast north of Baticola also badly affected but closer to the LTTE ( Tamil controlled ) area on Sunday 16th.

Sunday 16th

Visit to Trincomalee

3 am and a convoy of 4 x 4 vehicles and a truck loaded with emergency family parcels provided by the lions of 306 C left Colombo for Trincomalee.

Together with local lions myself, and a foreign aid worker from " HELP-GERMANY", another humanitarian NGO and a national television camera crew. Travelled at high speed through the night to travel from coast to coast.

8am Breakfast with the four Lions clubs of the town and then on to UNHCR camp number 65 and a very long day began in earnest

	DG & IPDG 306 C, PDG Gordy and an aide worker from "Help-Germany" arrive at camp 65
	Pictures do not do justice to the desperate plight the families are in but are a testament to their indomitable spirit and the pride with which they were keeping the place spotless. A true reflection of the spirit of humanity
DG & Gordy begin handing out the family parcels to a very orderly and quietly dignified set of families. A representative from the next camp with 300 Tamil familes came to request parcels. Lions of 306 C promised to return the next day with the parcels ( This took place today ) Lions ladies in the meantime prepare 4000 hot meals per day ( Using the local orphanage as a cookhouse )
On then to a fishing community which was totally devastated with the tsunami travelling in some 2 km from the shore	Discussing with Heidi Feldmann and the local president the possibilities of getting land quickly to start building replacement houses.
	A meeting with the local government agent

The ( GA ) agreed the following :-

1 That no building to take place within 100 mts of the coast as per government guidelines.
2 That local lions are to interview and select local families from village communities say 25 - 50 families to be re housed together as a community
3 Detailed plans for the dwellings to agree with government guidelines for minimum building standards
4 Agreement in principle to name the community the lions village if that is the wish of the families concerned.

(My recommendation is to commit 105C to this project and to make an immediate pledge to that effect to DG 306C)

	306 C runs from Colombo on the west coast Diaright to Kuruegalaacross the national park to Trincomalee on the east coast and Downnuwara Eliya and Yala. Of the total of 94,000 houses totally wiped out ( 54000 of the are in this district ) 25000 are in the south 15000 in the north.
Lunch with Trincomalee Lions president showing me the level of the tsunami that hit his house at speed and he lives 2km from the sea. His family were in the house but luckily they all made it upstairs and were saved. The entire contents of the ground floor were washed away.
On then to the local community hall built and run by the 4 local lions clubs as a zone project to discuss " What next " and have a well earned cuppa.
	On then to a " Reservoir " created by the lions to provide irrigation outside the town and completed in 45 days ( Very impressive ) Finally back to Colombo and on to a meeting of the 12 region chairman at midnight where I got the full picture of the situation in the district and presented our compliments and sympathies but more importantly on your behalf our thanks for the truly outstanding job they were all doing at this difficult time. Most lions are working 16+ hours every day.

Monday 17th

I held a meeting with COC Marcella on the following lines :-

1. Establish a single point of contact who keeps us up to date on the MD306 scheme
2. Obtain a typical list of help lions who have delivered and examples of how District105C / LCIF money has been invested so far
3. Obtain pictures from the ground on needs and local lions in action
4. Request that MD306 consider block sponsorship of housing to help with promotion of funding
5. Gain commitment to have budget costing for housing
6. Obtain an insight to MD306 in their approach to LCIF funding and joint projects
7. Investigate future ideas and how this could be achieved
8. Gain an insight into longer term projects ( Schools, Orphanages, Hospitals, etc )

THIS IS PDG GORDON FOR 105C IN SRI LANKA