Today is exactly fifteen years since the 2004 tsunami struck Sri Lanka. At the time of the incident no one in Sri Lanka was aware of the tsunami resulted loss of lot of lives and property. The disaster was caused by an earthquake near the Sumatra Islands. Big tidal waves have wreaked havoc on Sri Lanka’s south and southwest coasts. You can get an idea of the damage done by looking at the photos.
All the victims of the 2004 accident are being remembered at this moment.
There was not proper emergency alert sytem at that time. It is my belief that such programs like google emergency alert system will help to minimize the damage caused by similar natural disasters.
In addition to the visible damage, the tsunami devastated the precious coral reef in Hikkaduwa. It is slowly recovering, but it will take a very long time to fully recover.
At the time of writing this article, I am touring the Hikkaduwa area which had been damaged by the tsunami. We hope to dive into the coral reefs in the next few days and investigate the current situation.
Stay tuned to my next meetup underwater Hikkaduwa happening on 29th.