How to rebuild a life?

HFH Photojournalist Mikel Flamm has been in Batticaloa since the 7th January 2005, witnessing firsthand the struggles of survivors. Amidst the ruins, there are stories of families piecing their lives together with help from Habitat. This is Mikel’s story.

" To cover a disaster of such proportions it is hard not to get emotionally involved, especially when you hear stories that touch your heart and give you a sense of urgency to respond. I was not really prepared for how this would effect me personally.

I was stunned by the scale of destruction. Soon after I arrived, I drove to the lagoon side of the city with Rajah, (Santhiyagu Packiyarajah, HFH Sri Lanka construction supervisor). I saw house after house reduced to piles of broken cement, scattered roof tiles, or gaping holes in the ground. It looks as though it was hit by a bomb.

We stopped by a place where one Habitat house had been. A small fishing boat, cut in half, lay on its side near the roadway. Each ruin tells a different story of sadness and loss; these are places where garden once were and where children once played. Broken pieces of people lives.

We saw a grey-haired man in a sarong, sitting on the foundations of one ruined house, His name was K. Vadivel. This was all that remained of the family home he had shared with his wife Sarasvathy, 50, his two sons, Sivaneshan, 27, Manimaran, 23, and his daughter Manimala, 19. His eyes were vacant, staring into the distance, He was clearly deeply anguished.

His wife Sarasvathy is gone – taken by the waves and found tangled in bushes as the water retreated. The whole family is devastated. Together with his son Sivaneshan, he told me their heartbreaking story.

Later that afternoon I went back to visit him, but I was told he had gone to a temporary shelter located at Unier Primary School. Dozens of families are living here, with nowhere else to go. I went to the school with Rajah, and found Vadivel in one of the classrooms that has been converted into a sleeping area. We went out to the yard and talked further. His son and daughter joined us.

I was struck by Manimala’s palpable sadness. She looked up briefly as I shot a photo of her, her brother and father. Her eyes told of total loss.

Afterwards, I found that she had previously been studying accounting and business in one of the local colleges. With the means of income gone, she is unable to attend. Along with the loss of her mother seemed to be a total loss of hope.

I felt there was a desperate need to help. I asked Justice Gregory (affiliate project coordinator) if Habitat could offer her something to do. She was later asked to help in the office with homeless applicants applying for assistance from Habitat.

This seemed in a small way to help alleviate her sadness. After a few days, I asked her whether she wanted to talk about her mother. She smiled as she recounted her memories. ‘Our mother was the great bond for our family,’ she said. ‘She gave love,

advice…everything. Now that she is gone I miss all of it so much. I never thought before what life would be like without her with us. It has been a disaster for us.’

She was speaking to Justice in Tamil . At this point she stopped and began to cry. I felt crushed as she buried her face in her hands.

Later, Justice told me, ‘Manimala has been a great help to us, she’s a smart learner and she goes out of her way to help people who also lost houses and family members.’

Throughout my time in Batticaloa, I was amazed by the commitment of the Habitat personnel, working to reconstruct the community. I met Habitat staff who have worked tirelessly since December 26th, giving hope to the suffering. I am in awe of their dedication, their compassion and their vision.

Thanks to them, this grieving family will receive a new Habitat house in a new community, located three kilometers from Batticaloa. The effect of the tsunami will be felt for years to come. Memories of the loss of family members, friends and those who will remain unidentified will linger on. But compassion towards the survivors will continue."

You can help the efforts of the Habitat for Humanity Disaster Response Office by a donation to the Asia Tsunami Response Fund