The tsunami: 10 years on
commissioned The Picture Press to capture through photography the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka on Boxing Day, 2004. As journalist Amantha Perera notes, The tsunami took a dramatic toll on unsuspecting Sri…
Disaster Management
The Koslanda landslide: Photos around the aftermath
The deadly mudslide hit the Meeriyabedda tea plantation near the town of Haldummulla, about 200km (120 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Wednesday (29th October) morning. Part of a mountainside crashed…
Nurturing Public Trust in Times of Crisis: Reflections on April 11 Tsunami Warning
Five years ago, on a visit to the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo, Hawaii, I played an interesting simulation game: setting off an undersea earthquake and deciding whether or not to issue…
Placing ‘Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience Seminar’ in a critical light
Admirably, the Government was kind and open enough to provide a live web feed of the proceedings of the three day Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience seminar, held in Colombo. This allowed…
A review of ‘The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lankan & The Last Days of the Tamil Tigers’
I was elated to take delivery of my copy of with articles perceived to be against the incumbent government, that this tome will be freely sold in bookstores. The publication and release…
From Haiti Hell: Perspectives from the ground a year after the earthquake
Words Hugh Bohane. Pictures Alison Thompson. Australian nurse, filmmaker and author Alison Thompson is making a name for herself, selflessly volunteering to help in dangerous global calamities, such as in the aftermath…
Ayelasah
It was early April and I stood at the back of a busy venue huddling my camera near my heart. I was the photographer for the night and every person that walked…
DON’T PANIC! Predicting earthquakes or triggering mass hysteria?
Photo taken during Boxing Day Tsunami, 26 December 2004 DON’T PANIC (always written in upper-case) was timeless advice that writer Douglas Adams deeply etched into the minds of all who read his…
Messages by people in Manampitiya and Dimbulagala on flood relief
Sri Lanka’s Flood Response: In Dimbulagala, people protest and plead published on captured the difficulties facing people affected by the recent flooding in Sri Lanka, and the unhelpful attitudes of government officials.…
Sri Lankan cricket and social work: Interview with Kushil Gunasekera
Kushil Gunasekera is Muttiah Muralitharan’s manager for over 10 years. Though this came up in the discussion along with Sri Lanka’s prospects at the Cricket World Cup this year, the chief focus…
Sri Lanka’s Flood Response: In Dimbulagala, people protest and plead
As the rains abated and flood waters begin to recede, the return and resumption of normal lives presents itself as a big challenge in many parts of the country. In the villages…
Focus on Badulla: Landslides
The rains over the last couple of days have had a devastating effect on many parts of Badulla and surroundings. It is not floods but landslides that are causing most of the…
Google map on flood-affected areas in Sri Lanka – February 2011
View Flood-affected regions in February 2011 – Sri Lanka in a larger map The map above identifies the main flood-affected regions, sites where relief and rescue operations have been conducted and specific…
Rebirth
Photos courtesy Batticaloa Facebook Page ### When the skies rumbled, angry and blistered with grey clouds, we were happy. Rain has mostly been our friend – a welcome drink for thirsty fields;…
Brief Notes on Mental Health & Psychosocial Support after 2011 Batticaloa Floods
Dr. T. Gadambanathan & Ananda Galappatti The following is a brief response to queries we have received about what considerations should be made during the recovery phase of the flood disaster with…
