By Rajkumar Kanagasingam
In the morning of 26th of December 2004, people were running here and there in our residential area where we were staying in Colombo, the capital of the Indian Ocean's Island state of Sri Lanka.
I went near the canal where people were telling water is flowing backwards. I could see that seawater was moving backwards at a high speed. I was surprised for a moment at what was happening around.
A strange environment was created everywhere around there. The seawater, which had entered inland in our residential area, had started to flow towards the sea. There were hundreds of people coming towards the sea and having a look as it. The sea level had gone unusually down and we could see some of the rocks in the sea that were normally invisible.
I stayed on the upper-beach area, which has few rocks around it. I didn't step further down though a few others were even going into the sea. Somewhere my inner sense was alerting me there might be danger somewhere around any time.
I was there for a few minutes and was about to return. There were quiet a few people who had come to gaze at the sea. It was like a festival season around there.
While I was reaching my residence, again there was shouting and screaming that the water was again rushing in the opposite direction in the canal. When I went near the canal, I found the water quickly started to rise, and started to move too speedily backwards in a rush. I was perplexed for a moment as to what was causing for those backward movements.
I was little a frightened when the water started to flow over the small wall that was built along the canal. I started to move towards my house and the overflowing seawater had wet my legs.
I started to run and when I reached the house, the water had started to enter through the side door's crevices. The water had risen in the house in a few minutes up to about three feet so quickly.
I shouted at my grandmother "get away quickly" but she was busy, removing things on the ground floor. I warned her once again, that if she did not get out now from the house, that I was also going to die with her.
She stopped saving her goods, which she valued more than her life and went out. She was standing on a safe place, which was at that time not filled by water. I was screaming not to stay even and that place, but she dared to stay there. Though she was in her early eighties she was bold enough to face anything because of the hardships she faced in the war-torn areas. Her smiling face even at that time of calamity made me wonder whether I should laugh or cry.
Though I was a little angry over her obduracy in not heeding my warnings, I could nevertheless admire her courage, which acted as a spur for me to face any eventuality dauntlessly.
I went further upwards with my grandmother and now the people start to flee even from the safe places around there. I went with her crossing the main road to a safe place, which was many meters away from our place.
When I returned to our flooded house, I found the water had receded, leaving behind clay and mud water everywhere.
The BBC came out with detailed information about the casualties of the devastation. The whole world startled at the gravity, severity and scale of devastation around the Indian Ocean's Rim countries.
I was really paralysed over the phenomena, which had suddenly developed in the region.
I went near the canal where people were telling water is flowing backwards. I could see that seawater was moving backwards at a high speed. I was surprised for a moment at what was happening around.
A strange environment was created everywhere around there. The seawater, which had entered inland in our residential area, had started to flow towards the sea. There were hundreds of people coming towards the sea and having a look as it. The sea level had gone unusually down and we could see some of the rocks in the sea that were normally invisible.
I stayed on the upper-beach area, which has few rocks around it. I didn't step further down though a few others were even going into the sea. Somewhere my inner sense was alerting me there might be danger somewhere around any time.
I was there for a few minutes and was about to return. There were quiet a few people who had come to gaze at the sea. It was like a festival season around there.
While I was reaching my residence, again there was shouting and screaming that the water was again rushing in the opposite direction in the canal. When I went near the canal, I found the water quickly started to rise, and started to move too speedily backwards in a rush. I was perplexed for a moment as to what was causing for those backward movements.
I was little a frightened when the water started to flow over the small wall that was built along the canal. I started to move towards my house and the overflowing seawater had wet my legs.
I started to run and when I reached the house, the water had started to enter through the side door's crevices. The water had risen in the house in a few minutes up to about three feet so quickly.
I shouted at my grandmother "get away quickly" but she was busy, removing things on the ground floor. I warned her once again, that if she did not get out now from the house, that I was also going to die with her.
She stopped saving her goods, which she valued more than her life and went out. She was standing on a safe place, which was at that time not filled by water. I was screaming not to stay even and that place, but she dared to stay there. Though she was in her early eighties she was bold enough to face anything because of the hardships she faced in the war-torn areas. Her smiling face even at that time of calamity made me wonder whether I should laugh or cry.
Though I was a little angry over her obduracy in not heeding my warnings, I could nevertheless admire her courage, which acted as a spur for me to face any eventuality dauntlessly.
I went further upwards with my grandmother and now the people start to flee even from the safe places around there. I went with her crossing the main road to a safe place, which was many meters away from our place.
When I returned to our flooded house, I found the water had receded, leaving behind clay and mud water everywhere.
The BBC came out with detailed information about the casualties of the devastation. The whole world startled at the gravity, severity and scale of devastation around the Indian Ocean's Rim countries.
I was really paralysed over the phenomena, which had suddenly developed in the region.
