Human Development Centre - HUDEC

26^th December 2004 – 9.0/2004

It was a Sunday… like any other Sunday. Fr.Jeyakumar, Director HUDEC – Caritas Jaffna had just returned home, after having said Sunday Mass at Inuvil.

9.25 am	"Sasi teacher. A HUDEC volunteer at Sempianpattu, Vadamaradchi East, gave a call over the cell-phone and said: “Father, there are many people wounded due to floods. Hurry up, come with a medical unit.”"
9.30 am	Fr.Jeyakumar informed the Bishop of Jaffna about the news that he had heard over the cell phone. The Bishop requested his Secretary Fr.Roshan to visit the affected area. WHAT HAPPENED? NOBODY KEW!
9.35 am	Fr.Jeyakumar contacted the Holy Cross sisters and requested them to rush to Sempianpattu with their Mobile Medical Unit (MMU).
9.45 am	"75 loaves of bread, (that’s all he could collect in a hurry because there is a shortage of wheat flour in Jaffna and in the other parts of Sri Lanka), butter, jam and biscuits were bought, to be given to the victims."
10.15 am	"Fr.Jeyakumar accompanied by Frs.Nesarajah, Kirupaharan and Pilendran embarked on a journey … the dimensions of which he was not aware of at all."
11.00 am	"As he reached Palai, in the LTTE controlled area, he met Srs.Clare, Emerity, Benitta and Marina, busy there itself. The wounded people were being brought and the Sisters were taking care of them."
11.15 am	Fr.Jeyakumar and his team moved to Thalayadi and Sempianpattu. (They saw people in large groups coming towards Palai)
NONE KNEW ABOUT THE TSUNAMI THEN
	"The assistant parish priest Fr.Hans Bohr had been preparing some children, about 20 of them for a Christmas Celebration. Half of the children had been killed by ‘the floods’. By holding on to a tree, the father had escaped."
	The air was filled with weeping and wailing at Thalaiyadi and SempiyarPattu.
	Fr.Jeyakumar and his team had never even dreamt of such a calamity. Houses had been destroyed and the coastal areas of these villages had been devastated. People there had been utterly helpless before the raging mighty sea. They were running helter – shelter away from the sea.
	"When they came back to Palai, having consoled a few, the little town had swelled with people. Schools, temples, churches, public buildings.. were flooded with people. People were under the trees and on the roadside. The people were in a state of shock. "
4.00 pm	"The team led by Fr. Jeyakumar returned from Palai since they had heard of “the floods” in the Vadamaradchi East, in the Military controlled areas. They visited Manalkdu to PointPedro and saw the devastation wreaked by “the floods”."
YET THE TSUNAMI WAS UNHEARD OF
8.00 pm	The team returned to Jaffna exhausted.
THE TSUNAMI
27.12.05	The news of the Tsunami tidal waves dominated the media in Sri Lanka.
	The Bishop and Fr.Jeyakumar left for Mullaitivu. It was the worst affected area in the North of Sri Lanka.
	They just couldn’t believe their eyes. Mullaitivu town was utterly devastated. Thousands of people have died and thousands have disappeared. The parish priest Fr. James Paththinathar and the assistant parish priest Fr. Sarathjeevan had a narrow escape. Instead of celebrating the Sunday mass at St. Peter’s church they had celebrated it at a distant chapel. The Tsunami killer had destroyed St. Peter’s church the mission house and all the building in the vicinity of the sea.
	"They met the people who had taken shelter in welfare centres and consoled them. They also could sea the quick response of the LTTE, the government officers, the local NGOs the local church and the civic groups. A centre had already been established at Mulliyawali to co-ordinate the emergency relief work."
	"In the North in all the areas affected by the Tsunami the generosity of the unaffected people were remarkable. Food parcels, non – food items etc. were pouring in as a sign of solidarity. "
	"Having seen the sites of destruction, having met the priests, nuns and the people, victims of the Tsunami, they returned to Jaffna in the evening."
	"500,000 LKR was immediately released by HUDEC – CARITAS Jaffna in order to cater to the urgent needs of the people in all the affected area in the North."
28.12.04	"200,000LKR worth of Bed sheets, mats etc. were distributed to Varias welfare centres. Fr. Jeyakumar made instant efforts to coordinate relief work. The affected areas in the North were divided into three zones. "
	"Zone [1] Vdamaradchi East (“army controlled”), "
	Zone [2] Vadamaradchi East (“LTTE controlled”) and
	Zone [3] Mullaitivu (“LTTE controlled”).
	" Coordinators were appointed to each zone; Fr. J. Joel, S.J for zone [1], "
	"Fr.Sahayanathan, I.V.D for zone [2] and "
	Fr. Rex for zone [3] mentioned above.
	"The HUDEC– CARITAS continues to be actively involved at all relevant levels of the Northern society; with the government sector, LTTE, NGOs, Civil Society Groups, the armed forces and the clergy and religions of Jaffna Diocese. The journey which started on 26.12.04 … goes on."