Location
Background
District has undergone more than two decades of
conflict, with internal displacement, damages to
homes and infrastructure, loss of livelihoods, and
high numbers of single-headed households already
being major concerns prior to the tsunami. For
example, prior to the tsunami in 2004, there were
2,337 women who lost their husbands through various
disturbances. The tsunami has greatly exacerbated
these problems.
Effects of the Tsunami
The tsunami of Sunday,
December 26, 2004, was caused by an earthquake in
the region north of Sumatra, Indonesia, in the
Indian Ocean and measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.
The quake occurred at 6:58 am (Sri Lanka time) and
the tidal waves reached the east coast of Sri Lanka
at 8:57am. As Ampara District is a predominantly
coastal region, it was severely damaged, with great
loss of life. Eleven out of twenty divisions were
affected, with the following impacts:
Reconstruction priorities are the provision of housing, livelihood support, and infrastructure rebuilding.
- Affected persons: 193,000
- Affected families: 38,000
- Deaths: 10,436
- Total estimated damages: $565.7 million
Reconstruction priorities are the provision of housing, livelihood support, and infrastructure rebuilding.
