Shockwaves in Maldives

In Solidarity with Haitians and Chileans

2010-03-25T11:15:00.000+05:00

Even though the government of the Maldives has said Haitians deserved the earthquake, that view is not shared by several Maldivian citizens. Having experienced the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, we, the people of Maldives, understand what it feels like to face a natural disaster and to live as survivors in the aftermath of a disaster. We take this opportunity to show our solidarity with the people of Haiti and Chile – two countries which experienced destructive earthquakes this year. We sympathize with the suffering of the people in those countries.

Safe shelter built in Muli

2009-02-18T20:25:00.000+05:00

A safe shelter to protect against natural disasters such as tsunamis has been built in Muli island in Meemu Atoll, Maryam Omidi reports in Minivan News.

The shelter is a two-storey building with an open terrace. Each storey is around 174.5 sq metres in size.

It will house a 45,000 litre underground rainwater tank; a storehouse for food and life-saving drugs; an operations centre with communications equipment; and will be able to generate power for up to three days.

The building has been designed to allow for vertical evacuation which means people will be able to move upwards to a high central location in times of flooding.

The total cost of the shelter is US$333,498. Funds were provided primarily by the UAE Red Crescent (US$200,000) with the remainder from various sources.

Muli was identified as a vulnerable island in a “high tsunami hazard zone”, in need of measures to mitigate ecological disasters, according to Gemma Perez, disaster risk reduction project manager at UNDP.

The island was further selected to complement a UNDP community disaster preparedness programme, which included a disaster simulation drill in December 2006.

She added the UNDP was in favour of supporting the government’s proposal to develop a national early warning system.

In addition to assistance provided in 2006 to buy and install early warning equipment, the UNDP would help improve the National Meteorological Centre’s ability to “receive, monitor and analyse” relevant meteorological information.

Speaking at the ceremony, Abdullah Shahid, minister of state for housing, transport and environment, said that by mid-2010, in addition to safety equipment, the National Disaster Management Centre aims to link all islands through a communication system to be used during emergencies.

Kolhufushi in Meemu Atoll was one of the worst hit islands in the tsunami of December 2004. Following an internal dispute among the islanders, and the failure of the government to mediate a solution, the British Red Cross pulled out of the island in January 2007, halting the reconstruction process.

What is causing flooding in the Maldives: Monsoon, tidal wave, storm surge or El Niño?

2007-05-20T19:57:00.001+05:00

The waves that hit several islands of the Maldives during the last few days have caused much damage to the islands making even some people homeless.

Islands in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll have been hit badly according to reports from Minivan News.

There is some debate as to whether the waves are tidal waves or storm surges.

But Mohamed Hussein Shareef (Mundhu) criticised media reports of “tidal waves,” which he said were “complete exaggerations… these are clearly storm surges not tidal waves.”

“Storm surges regularly happen in the Maldives at this time of year… they don’t cause much damage because they recede very quickly,” he added.

However, a top official from National Meteorological Centre disputed the claim that the waves were part of storm surges.

A Meteorological Office forecaster has told Minivan News storm surges are not responsible for last week’s widespread flooding in the Maldives, despite the government’s insistence they are to blame.

“We don’t do oceanography here, be we don’t think it can be storm surges. Storm surges don’t last three of four days. They normally just last one day,” Met Office official, Ibrahim Waheed, told Minivan News on Saturday.

The assistant duty forecaster also said he did not know where the government had obtained the data it had used to confirm storm surges, as he was not aware of any oceanography facility in the Maldives.

There was a tropical storm in Bay of Bengal roughly the same time Maldives was hit by waves. It caused a tidal surge that hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh.

A tidal surge triggered by a storm in the Bay of Bengal swept through coastal districts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday, killing at least one fisherman and damaging hundreds of homes, officials said.

Weather officials said the storm, with winds of up to 80 kph (50 mph), crossed the Bangladesh coast at dawn, heading east towards Myanmar.

Even though Maldives was not prepared for the waves,

Bangladesh

was on alert before the surge hit.

Bangladesh went on cyclone alert on Monday, with officials warning the storm in the Bay of Bengal could trigger a tidal surge two metres high. Nearly 80,000 people were evacuated to cyclone shelters.

Reuters has also reported on the flooding in the Maldives.

Waves from an Indian Ocean storm surge swamped dozens of islands in the low-lying Maldives on Tuesday, the government said.

"It is an annual occurrence at this point of the monsoon. Storm surges are quite common, but it is unusual to have them to the extent we have had today," government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said by telephone from the Maldives' capital, Male.

"It is essentially a rise of the tide. The water came in at least 100 feet (30 metres) on some islands, and then receded in the evening ... It is the low-lying islands that have felt the impact."

There are reasons to believe that the waves that hit Maldives this May are not part of an isolated event but a regional if not a global event. As the week ended Indonesia has become the target of more waves and flooding.

The Jakarta Post has reports on high waves damaging coastal areas of Indonesia on Thursday and Friday.

20^th anniversary of 1987 tidal wave

What the media and the government have failed to emphasise is that this year is the 20^th anniversary of a tidal wave hitting Male’ and some other islands. On 11-12 April 1987 tidal waves hit and flooded a large part of Male’ and caused damages to some 16 other islands.

There was an El Niño phenomenon in 1986-1987. El Niño conditions were prevailing in early 2007. Is it El Niño that caused tidal waves in April 1987 and is it the same phenomenon that is causing waves in the Maldives in May 2007? We do not know yet. But El Niño is known to cause freak weather globally and increases the occurrence of storms. It was the 1997-1998 El Niño which caused severe coral bleaching in the Maldives.

Too early for conclusions

It is too early to jump into conclusions about the cause of the waves hitting the Maldives presently. It is up to the scientific community to monitor the development and put forward theories and evidence. What is important is to provide aid and relief to the people who are in desperate need. We must be aware that climate is changing globally and freak weather patterns are more prevalent now. What we need is a good warning system and a quick emergency response plan as well as a disaster management plan.

The way the country is coping with the current onslaught of waves shows that we have not learned any lessons after the tsunami and that we are not prepared for such disasters.

Controversy over Red Cross workers being held captive in Mundoo

2007-05-02T20:33:00.000+05:00

Minivan News reports that three French Red Cross workers were held captive in Mundoo in Laamu Atoll on Friday.

The islanders deny keeping them as hostages. The Head of the French Red Cross Delegation to the Maldives, Emmanuel Vivien, told Minivan News that previous reports in the media that Star Force attacked Mundoo after the incident were false.

Miscommunication within people of islands about the distinctive role of the international NGOs and the government in the tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction could be a factor that leads to such incidents, according to Minivan News.

The Mundoo incident also shows how little understanding most islanders have of the distinction between Categories of tsunami victims, or of the division between the responsibilities of the Red Cross, the government and its various agencies, and the UN.

Vivien described the many strategies the French Red Cross use to inform tsunami victims of their role in reconstruction. These include a 24-hour hotline manned by Dhivehi speaking staff, newsletters distributed to all islanders and question and answer sessions.

Vivien did not comment on whether the government is equally proactive in keeping victims informed.

Toriq Ibrahim, Director of the government’s Housing and Infrastructure Re-Development Unity (HIRU) was unavailable for comment, as were representatives of the other government agencies involved.

Tsunami victims in Gan protest over sewage system

2007-05-02T20:17:00.000+05:00

Minivan News reports that tsunami victims who have recently moved to new homes in Laamu Atoll Gan have protested on Monday demanding a planned sewage system to be completed.

The tsunami victims from Mundoo and Kalhaidhoo moved into French Red Cross homes on Gan in March, but have been forced to defecate in the sea in the absence of a sewage system.

There are also divisions brewing between the people who are natives of Gan and those who shifted because of the tsunami. Such shifts recently made headlines in Alifu Dhaalu Atoll Maamigili as well.

Native Gan islanders claim tsunami victims from Mundoo and Kalhaidhoo are being given superior facilities to those already living on the island.
Residents of Gamuthundi village are demanding their village be incorporated into the planned sewage system.
They have refused contractors access to a key construction site for the sewage system, which is situated on the main road through their village. Since October groups of farmers and fishermen have taken shifts guarding the site to ensure work does not take place.

British Red Cross pulls out of Kolhufushi

2007-01-25T20:36:00.000+05:00

British Red Cross has pulled out of Kolhufushi island in Meemu Atoll, after the government and the people of the island failed to come to an agreement over the location of the houses to be built in the tsunami-ravaged island of Maldives, reports Minivan News.

The decision was taken on January 16, and a statement released to Minivan five days later said it had “not been taken lightly.” Funds totalling $3.7m will now be reallocated to other Red Cross projects and the statement says options for where the money is reallocated are currently under discussion with the government.

Earlier in January frustrated protestors blockaded the Island Office in Kolhufushi. Will Jordan from Minivan News visited the island during the peak of the protest and reports his findings.

Apart from the fortunate few whose homes were left more or less intact, everybody on Kolhufushi still lives in temporary shelters. Instead of the bright and spacious homes they have been promised, each family crams into a room no bigger than ten feet by eight. “It’s terrible now. I don’t know what to say…It’s worse than like a jail,” says Hassan Zareer.

The makeshift villages are a sad sight. Single mattresses are propped up against the walls in the tiny terraced rooms. If they are laid flat, they fill half the floor space of a room for five people. The walls are thin partitions which do not reach the ceiling. Privacy is not an option.

Outside, pots and pans balance precariously on tables in the sun and clothes hang on lines. There is no room to store them inside.

Troubled times for people of Kolhufushi

2007-01-13T14:09:00.000+05:00

Unrest is brewing in Kolhufushi island in Meemu Atoll. Two years after the tsunami struck, several people are living in temporary shelters. Kolhufushi was one of the worst-affected islands. Minivan News has a report of what is going on.

British Red Cross has also recently explained why reconstruction work on the island has come to a painful halt.

Red Cross defends pace of post-tsunami reconstruction

2006-12-27T13:54:00.000+05:00

Jerry Talbot, head of Maldives delegation, for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Socieities (IFRC) has defended the pace of reconstruction of homes for people affected by the tsunami.

There has been criticism of the pace of reconstruction, and we accept that for people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed, each day of waiting is a day too long. But from the outset we said that the recovery operation would take more than two years. We will not compromise quality for the sake of speed. Tsunami survivors deserve the best assistance that we can offer, and our experience shows that this takes time.

Furthermore, the success of the recovery effort cannot simply be determined by the number of houses that have been built. Long-term Red Cross Red Crescent recovery efforts are not focused solely on building and reconstructing houses. Permanent shelter is undeniably important, but people didn’t just lose their homes to the tsunami. They lost schools, access to health care and clean water. They lost their livelihoods, their community centres, and most tragically, they lost family members and friends.

Talbot acknowledges that there was limited participation of tsunami survivors in crucial decision-making processes.

The SPHERE project, which outlines the minimum standards for disaster response, states that people affected by a disaster should “have access to an ongoing, reliable flow of credible information”, as well as channels that allow them to communicate with agencies involved in the operation.

In the initial phase of the tsunami recovery operation, international organizations, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent, often failed to meet this important standard. In the rush to provide relief and assistance, the voices of tsunami survivors were often not included in programme planning and implementation.

However, the Red Cross Red Crescent has taken significant steps to rectify this. Across the tsunami-affected region, survivors are now increasingly involved in all stages of the Red Cross Red Crescent effort. In Aceh and in the Maldives, Red Cross and Red Crescent interactive radio shows–serve as a forum for beneficiaries to speak their minds and to raise issues and concerns about the recovery operation.

There have been complaints from tsunami-affected people that the homes that are built for them are not up to their expectations. In many cases there have been limited or no participation of the tsunami survivors in the decision-making process. This has in turn resulted in various complications in several islands. Red Cross now seems to make more efforts to engage the people in the recovery process, as evident from this Dhivehi Observer report.

In a rare media appearance, Jill Clements, the Head of the British Red Cross Mission to the Maldives, on 27 November 2006 told the Maldives media that community participation is key to peaceful transition of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Thaa atoll Vilufushi. One of the worst hit islands during the tsunami of December 2004, many of the Vilufushi IDPs now live in cramped temporary shelters in neighbouring host island Buruni.

Jill also briefed the media on a unique approach adapted by the British Red Cross with regard to identifying who are most vulnerable and who will get the 250 homes to be built by the BRCS in Vilufushi. She said that the process will be participatory and transparent.

BRCS has acquired the help of a New Delhi based institute called Praxis, an institute credited with "promoting participatory practices".

Previous attempts to rebuild another island, Kolhufushi in Meemu Atoll, was halted because of disagreements between government, residents and NGOs over where houses should be situated. However, with the lessons learnt from Kolhufushi, BRCS turned to people power, and with the assistance of a 16-member committee elected by Vilufushi community, BRCS is presently cross checking information collected, making necessary amendments upon the advise of the committee and the Vilufushi community at large. A free hotline, 800 332 0852, has now been established so that Vilufushi residents not living in temporary shelters in Buruni but living in Male', Hulhumale and Vilingili, can be facilitated to contact the focal station in Buruni.

However, the DO report also outlines some of the on going complaints of the Vilufushi people. One of the concerns is that the new houses to be constructed for them would not be adequate enough to house large extended families.

"Nobody under the age of 50 owns a home of his own in Vilufushi. It has been too decades since the government gave any land plots to new families," a disgruntled Vilufushi resident, who wanted to be identified only as Maniku, told DO.

"There are many cases where many extended families live under one roof. But under the government's 'a house for a house' policy, it is absurd if the government expects families of 20 to 40 members living in 3-room apartments."

More posts from our archive about the tsunami survivors from Thaa Atoll Vilufushi:
Waiting for news from Thaa Atoll
Sick and Injured from Thaa Atoll
Filled with emotion
Sad reunion
Heartbreaking news from Thaa Atoll
Ocean-10 in silence

Two years later

2006-12-26T15:42:00.001+05:00

Two years ago, on December 26, water rose from the depths of Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sumatra, formed into a wave of destruction, and swept into coastal settlements of several countries. Homes were destroyed, lives lost, and hopes shattered in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Maldives. The most destructive tsunami ever known made its impact even on the eastern coast of Africa. Hundred people have been reported to have died from the wave in Somalia.

Two years after the disaster, the shockwaves have not subsided. There have been massive efforts made to rehabilitate and to provide shelter for the homeless. Several international organisations have been working in the Maldives, as well as other tsunami-affected countries, to bring some order to the chaos. They have partnered with the government in the Maldives to conduct various development and reconstruction programmes.

In all tsunami-affected areas, there are complaints of work progressing slowly. However, the organisations engaged in reconstruction point out that the mammoth task of rebuilding communities from scratch is no easy task. Governments have been accused of corruption and mismanagement of tsunami funds.

There is also the question of how prepared we are for another similar disaster. There are big issues at stake, and the most important thing is restoring the livelihood of affected people, to be prepared for future disasters and ensuring that damage from another disaster is mitigated.

Two years later, it is also important to reflect on why we began this blog. We started it to document what we saw. We were not able to update it regularly because of other engagements. It was never meant to provide lengthy reports and do investigative journalism. However, in islands we visited we encountered tsunami-affected people. Most of them have stories to tell, complaints to make, tears to shed. It is not fair not to tell these stories. So on this second anniversary of the tsunami, we are determined to make more efforts to cover how Maldives is coping with the tsunami. After all, that is what we say our blog is about.

One of the reasons why this blog has not been updated regularly is there are too few people to work on it, and too many other engagements on their part. It is perhaps time to reach out for others who want to tell the story of the tsunami in Maldives, and let their work be published. So if there are any writers or photographers out there wishing to cover how Maldives is coping with the tsunami, then please send an email to us.

Formation of local Red Crescent branch in Maldives delayed

2006-11-21T13:57:00.000+05:00

After the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, Red Cross organizations from a number of countries set up office in the Maldives, a popular holiday destination attracting the likes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, currently spending their honeymoon here.

The work on forming a local Red Crescent society has been going on for a while, but Minivan News reports that the work is delayed again.

The formation of the new committee and the delay that comes with it has caused some members in the organization to express concern. They have pointed to the fact that attempts to set up the Maldives Red Crescent branch, have already taken over a year.

To add to the controversy, Minivan Daily has reported that Ibrahim Hameed (Lebbe), the delegate appointed by the government to head the working group of the Maldives Red Cross, was trying to resister the organisation as a government institution.

But Jerry Tolbot, Head of Delegation of the International Red Crescent Society said there was no secret motive behind the delays. In an interview with Minivan News he said that it all came down to the simply fact that the Maldives was just not ready.

“There are processes that have to be gone thought and standards that must be met in order for us to set up in the Maldives,” said Tolbot, “so far, the planning has not been completed in time.”

When asked if there were political motivations behind forming the new election committee Tolbot said: “The people who make up the society must respect our seven principals (humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, universality). We are not looking at people’s political beliefs nor are we trying to bring in any governmental objectives.”

Tolbot refused to comment when asked if President Gayoom was unwilling to grant official status to the Maldives Red Crescent because there were too many Maldivian Democratic Party members in the group.

Tsunami Aid Money Controversy in Maldives

2006-11-21T12:40:00.000+05:00

While Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are enjoying their honeymoon in the Maldives, the Indian Ocean holiday destination has become the focus of a controversy over tsunami aid money.

Minivan News reports that Commander Michael Lord-Castle, the head of Global Protection Committee (GPC) said that GPC has received information that President Gayoom of Maldives has transferred up to $80 million into private offshore bank accounts.

"We have been advised that between US$60 to $80 million have been transferred from Maldives Governmental funds directly to various private bank accounts in favour of President Gayoom. Some of those funds we understand derive from donations made in respect to the tsunami disaster."

That allegation appears to have infuriated the government, which is sensitive to accusations of corruption, particularly if involving foreign aid.

Lord Castle said his organisation was continuing to investigate the alleged money transfers and would present a report to the European Parliament shortly.

GPC was in Maldives to observe a demonstration Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was planning for November 10th. Some members of the GPC team, including Lord-Castle, were deported by the government. MDP had canceled the demonstration following a crackdown by the government.

The government has reacted to this accusation saying there is no government money in the private accounts of Gayoom. A report by Haveeru Daily in Dhivehi says President's Office has issued a statement on 18 November in which Chief Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said that a special Board has been formed in 2005 to ensure that tsunami aid money is audited according to international standards and to monitor the accounts in which the aid money is deposited. The statement said members of the Board would know all details of the tsunami aid money.

The shortcomings of Indian Ocean tsunami early warning system

2006-08-03T16:44:00.000+05:00

The tsunami of July 2006 killed more than 500. Despite Indian Ocean tsuanmi early warning system being set up, and UN officials claiming it to be "up and running" in June, hardly any warning reached the people in remote villages of Java. What are the shortcomings of this warning system and what are measures taken to solve them?

This BBC article examines the future of the early warning system.

The final part of the jigsaw is getting the warning message from tsunami monitoring centres to Jakarta and - in a matter of minutes - to often isolated communities.

It is in this area that Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of the UN's scientific and cultural organisation Unesco, acknowledges work remains to be done.

While the new warning system had "functioned well" in terms of information reaching Indian Ocean governments, he said in a statement, the authorities had to ensure that messages "make the final mile to the people on the coast".

"The system still has big gaps, notably in getting the warning to coastal communities in time," he said.

Communications seems to be one barrier that is preventing the warning from reaching isolated communities.

In the meantime, officials were making use of SMS messages to contact communities at risk, he said.

Networks of sirens are also being set up this year in the Aceh, Padang and Bali regions to alert people who may be too poor to own TVs, radios or mobile phones. Another is to be built in Java next year.

Another tsunami on Indonesia's Java coast

2006-07-18T02:04:00.000+05:00

Another tsunami has hit Indonesia on Monday, killing at least 80 people, Heru Asprihanto reports for Reuters.

PANGANDARAN, Indonesia (Reuters) - A tsunami triggered by a strong undersea earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Java island on Monday killed at least 80 people, swept away buildings and damaged hundreds of fishing boats, officials and witnesses said.

News of the disaster spread panic across a region still recovering from a tsunami less than two years ago in which nearly 230,000 people were killed or reported missing, mostly in Indonesia. But there were no reports of casualties or damage in any other country from Monday's tsunami.

"Our latest data shows 80 people have died while at least 68 are badly injured. The number can climb because many may have been swept away by the waves," Fitri Sidikah, an official at the Indonesian Red Cross disaster center, told Reuters.

"We are going to send body bags, tents and other equipment," she said. "Around 650 fishing boats are damaged."

Waves up to 1.5 metres (five feet) high crashed into Pangandaran beach near the town of Ciamis, 270 km (170 miles) southeast of Jakarta, killing 37 people, a local official said.

"The number could grow because when we went to the shore, rescuers were trying to evacuate more bodies," Rudi Supriatna Bahro told Metro TV.

Bahro said areas up to half a kilometre (550 yards) from the beach were affected by the tsunami, with flimsily constructed buildings flattened. "We need tents, food and medical aid."

UNICEF urges Maldivians to be ready for rainy season

2006-03-23T16:33:00.001+05:00

On the occasion of the World Water Day, UNICEF Maldives has urged people to clean out gutters and prepare rain water collecting tanks for the upcoming rainy season, the Northwest monsoon, reports Minivan News.

According to UNICEF, the tsunami worsened the contamination of ground water on almost all inhabited islands, which makes rainwater collection even more important than it was last monsoon.

“Rainwater harvesting has long been the most sustainable and effective method of providing safe drinking water in this country,” says Martin. “But thanks to donations from many organisations, the numbers of tanks available to island communities has risen sharply since the tsunami. As today is World Water Day, people should get ready for the downpour!”

Many islands in the Maldives were provided with communal and household rainwater storage tanks by international agencies such as the Red Cross and UNICEF immediately following the tsunami.

Baking under scorching sun in Hulhumale'

2006-02-19T14:41:00.000+05:00

“Every human being shall have the right to be protected against being arbitrarily displaced from his or her home or place of habitual residence…
Displacement shall last no longer than required by the circumstances.”
UN Commission on Human Rights, Guiding Principle on Internal Displacement, 1988

We visited Hulhumale' while temporary shelters were being built for the tsunami victims. Our first thoughts were on how they would be able to live there. Anybody who knows Hulhumale' would know the barren landscape there. Like the aftermath of a nuclear war. The ceilings in the temporary shelters were so low while the corrugated iron sheets would trap the heat. The 'rooms' for each family was so small that it looked like they were there to be baked under the hot sun.

I was there when the first groups of survivors were moved to those shelters. I saw the tears in the eyes of an elderly lady; I saw the pain felt by a woman who had to share a tiny 'room' with her husband and children.

Now a five-country study by international charities ActionAid International, People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning (PDHRE) and Habitat International Coalition's The Housing and Land Rights Network (HIC-HLRN) sheds light on the housing condition of tsunami survivors in Hulhumale' and other islands.

Similarly, in the Maldives, temporary shelters are largely made of plywood with metal roofs. These structures do not have windows, leak when it rains and are extremely hot during the day.

“The heat was unbearable. When the rains came we had to stay inside the shelters which were hot and humid.”
Resident, Hulhumale temporary shelters, the Maldives

This is the same study that Minivan News has reported and we blogged about. The study reveals human rights conditions of tsunami survivors in Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives. The report was released at UN Headquarters.

Here is the report for your reference.

written by: niOS

Harassment going on in camps for tsunami victims

2006-02-19T05:15:00.000+05:00

A study by UN finds that harassment in camps for tsunami victims in Maldives is common, reports Minivan News.

The dire situation for tsunami victims has led men to turn to drugs, causing further trauma for those living in the shelters, particularly women.

“Women from Mundoo island now living in a camp at Gan island in the Maldives have reported feeling unsafe and say that the lack of privacy results in harassment and intimidation. Camp residents have reported several cases of sexual harassment and rape.”

““It’s very difficult now. Men are high on drugs. They have nothing to do. They come home and they beat us till we bleed,” said a woman from Gan camp.”

Governments Violating Human Rights of Tsunami Survivors - UN Study

2006-02-19T05:03:00.000+05:00

Minivan News reports about a UN study on how governments are violating the rights of tsunami survivors.

In the Maldives, the viability of government’s ‘safe island’ programme is in serious doubt. “The programme’s stated aims are to develop a few islands as economically and socially sustainable. The government argues that this will enable cost-effective delivery of services and will provide protection from natural and other disasters. It will also, according to the government, divert the influx of migrants to its capital, Male’,” the report states.

“This plan, in existence since 1998, is now being funded by the European Union, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and others through a trust fund managed by the government in collaboration with the UNDP. At present the entire population of three islands – Madifushi, Gemendhoo and Kadholhudhoo – and part of the population of a further 10 islands, are being relocated to other islands. People are left with no choice but to move as it is a precondition of housing and livelihood rehabilitation.

“Those affected by this programme have expressed their doubts about the safety rationale of the government and ask why the populations of more than 180 islands in similar circumstances (in terms of elevation, topography, proximity of homes to the sea) are not also being moved. They believe tsunami money may be being misused for developing new commercial centres.”

The report also finds a host of other problems that the government has failed to address post-tsunami, such as providing adequate, clean water.

“In the Maldives water for drinking and washing is in short supply in camps. Sanitation and sewerage are in poor condition – residents complain that drainage pipes become blocked two to three times a week making it impossible to use the toilets or tap water.

“Access to the bath-cum-lavatory in each shelter is through one of the bedrooms, posing difficulties for children and other resident adults if they need to use the toilet during the night. In the mornings, children from two or three families wait for their turn before going to school. There is hardly enough space for one person in the bathroom. In this situation maintaining personal hygiene is almost impossible.

““If any of the residents need to go to the toilet in the night, either she has to wake up the couple occupying the room attached to the toilet, or go outside. I cannot explain how embarrassing it is!” - resident of Kadholhudhoo Island, living in Ugoofaaru shelter site.”

Angry tsunami victims refuse Atolls Minister entry to island

2005-10-13T15:20:00.000+05:00

Minister of Atolls Development of Maldives, Mr Mohamed Waheed Deen has been refused entry to an island in Laamu Atoll by angry tsunami victims, Minivan News has reported.

The Atolls Minister Mr. Mohamed Waheeddeen was met with ugly scenes at Isdhoo Ward of Isdhoo-Kalhaidhoo Island of Laamu Atoll earlier this week, when angry tsunami victims refused to allow the Minister to step foot on the island.

Witnesses told Minivan that the Atolls Minister tried to stop over at Isdhoo Ward after rain hampered his team from docking at Kalhaidhoo Ward which was the focus of his visit.

The Isdhoo Island Chief reportedly arrived at the jetty during the incident, but the crowd persisted in their refusal to allow the Minister to land. The incident reached its highest point when the gathered public tried to mob the Minister, reported eyewitnesses at the scene. The Minister decided to abandon his short visit and depart whilst Isdhoo Ward public chanted they were hungry and famished and since it was Kalhaidhoo Ward which got all the tsunami aid Deen should go back to Kalhaidhoo.

Speaking to Minivan Radio today an Isdhoo resident said that “the people of the island were promised assistance immediately following the tsunami but the government has failed to deliver these things so people were wild and didn’t want him [Deen] to come onto the island.”

UN to provide additional food to tsunami victims during Ramazan

2005-10-13T15:10:00.000+05:00

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is to provide extra food to tsunami victims in Maldives during the month of Ramazan, Minivan News has reported.

“People living in temporary shelter following the tsunami will receive extra food packages,” WFP said in a press release last week, noting it would be providing extra food to over 63,000 people.

Nina Kolbjornsen, head of Maldives WFP, said the move would enable tsunami affected families to partake properly in traditional Ramazan feasts. “Households traditionally spend more on food during Ramazan. WFP hopes that this additional food will enable people to meet their basic food needs without taxing the limited resources they have to rebuild after the tsunami,” she said.

Over 10,000 people are still living in temporary accommodation following December’s tsunami. Many are becoming increasingly impatient at the slow response from the government.

The World Bank's Maldives Country Director, Alastair McKechnie, told journalists earlier this month that “several thousand” people are still living in “quite bad” conditions and “were now getting impatient waiting for new homes.” He diplomatically added that the government’s overall reconstruction process is “slightly behind schedule.”

Another natural disaster hits South Asia

2005-10-09T16:24:00.000+05:00

We offer our heartfelt sympathies to the people of Pakistan and India who are coping with the aftermath of the South Asian earthquake which hit the region on Saturday. Thousands are dead and wounded from this quake, believed to be the worst to hit the region in a century.

Unicef distributing portable kits to check drinking water quality

2005-09-12T03:37:00.000+05:00

UNICEF is to distribute portable kits to check drinking water quality in the Maldives, Minivan News has reported.

Speaking to Minivan News earlier today, Unicef’s water and sanitation expert, Dan Martin, said water quality problems remain a concern in the Maldives, particularly since the Tsunami struck.

“The initial impact of the Tsunami was to damage the traditional rainwater-harvesting tanks people use to collect water” he said. Freshwater available underground was also made unfit to drink because of the intrusion of salty seawater during the Tsunami, although concerns about the quality of this water were there even before the wave struck, said Martin.

Although water and sanitation provision in Male’ is among some of South Asia’s finest, this cannot be said of the outer islands where sanitation coverage is provided to a mere 42% of the population according to the United Nations. In island schools, there are often just one or two toilets for 200-300 children. This has a negative impact on attendance levels said Martin, particularly among girls.

Knowledge about washing hands with soap after going to the toilet – one of the most effective ways to prevent child illnesses - is also very low in the outer atolls. “There is an urgent need to improve that” Martin said.

The Red Cross is reportedly providing 15,000 rainwater harvesting tanks to households across the country. This should provide half the population with safe drinking water. Unicef said that they are considering providing the extra 17,000 tanks that would ensure coverage of the entire population.

Hurricane Katrina: another devastating natural disaster

2005-09-02T17:54:00.000+05:00

Our heartfelt sympathies are with the people of the United States as they go through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This is just another example of how vulnerable the human population is, in the face of large-scale natural disasters. The former US Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton have contributed significantly to the relief efforts after the tsunami, and both visited Maldives as part of the United Nations relief and reconstruction efforts. Our condolences are with the families of the victims of the hurricane and we wish the United States a speedy recovery.

Photo shows former US President Bill Clinton at a press conference at a press conference held at Kurumba Maldives on 29 May 2005. Photo: niOS

Four months later

2005-05-07T03:07:00.000+05:00

Reconstruction projects are underway. Victims are living in temporary shelters. Foreign aid agencies and international organisations are working to help. But four months after the tsunami struck, the affected people are still suffering. The impact of the tsunami is still visible in the Maldives. It is felt everywhere. In the resorts and in the far-flung islands where poverty was present even before the tsunami.

Cleaning up Hulhumale' street

2005-01-24T02:52:00.000+05:00

Residents of Hulhumale' clean up the sand accumulated on a street after the tsunami. Photo: UID, Hulhumale'.

Flood in Hulhumale'

2005-01-24T02:49:00.000+05:00

Hulhumale' was reclaimed to provide a solution for congestion in Male'. Flats have been developed and rented. The island is still under development and only very few people live there. This photo shows people coming out of their flats and walk through the water after the island was flooded. Most of the things in the groundfloor of the flats were destroyed by the wave. Photo: UID, Hulhumale'.

First impact on Hulhumale'

2005-01-24T02:41:00.000+05:00

This picture taken in Hulhumale' on December 26 shows the tsunami sweeping into the artificially created island in the Maldives. Compared to other islands, this reclaimed island was affected less by the tsunami. The island is raised a few feet above sea level as a protection against sea level rise, but it was not enough to stop the tsunami. Photo: UID, Hulhumale'.

Commonwealth sending emergency doctors

2005-01-24T02:00:00.000+05:00

Commonwealth is to send emergency doctors to the Maldives, a press release by the Commonwealth said.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has appealed to doctors to help the Maldives.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is looking for doctors with expertise in internal medicine; paediatrics; anaesthetics; general surgery; obstetrics and gynaecology; and orthopaedics, as well as general medicine. They will each work in Maldives for between 3 and 12 months.

"Women and children have borne the brunt of the disaster," said Mr McKinnon. "My hope is that in a short time, we can deliver up to 50 experienced doctors to assist the Maldives Government in the delivery and co-ordination of medical assistance. I am told this will make a real difference to their health system. The doctors will mainly be working in the settlements for displaced people and overstretched health centres."

The disaster relief co-ordinator sent by Commonwealth to help the government to assess the damage and make recommendations has almost completed his two-week mission and will send his report to the Secretary-General soon, the press release said.

Terms of Reference for CSAP Volunteers in the Health Sector in response to the tsunami disaster in the Maldives

Shortage of doctors

2005-01-24T01:55:00.000+05:00

Haveeru reported on January 15 that the damage the health sector has incurred from the tsunami is around US$435,000.

Assistant Director Ahmed Afaal from the Health Ministry on Thursday said that aid is being sought from foreign sources to reconstruct the damages.

Afaal said that some nine expatriate doctors have resigned and left the Maldives after the tsunami. The Health Ministry is presently seeking 69 doctors from various fields.

Voluntary service organizations have expressed interest in sending doctors to Maldives, Afaal said.

However, on January 23 Haveeru reported that health officials have reassessed the damage to be around US$894,940.

Health ministry's assistant director Aishath Sheena told Haveeru that service had been resumed in the hospital in Muli in Meemu Atoll, after the hospital incurred severe damage. She said other institutions that incurred damages will be operational within about three months. Sheena also told that there was a shortage of doctors and that the government has requested assistance from various foreign parties to solve this problem.

Thulusdhoo waits for aid

2005-01-18T03:19:00.000+05:00

Since the tsunami hit the Maldives, Television Maldives (TVM), the only local TV station, has been sending live coverage of the event. It has shown numerous footage of the destruction in islands and interviewed several people affected by the tsunami.

It has come under criticism recently that the live coverage is only increasing the trauma and adversely affecting people. Those who have this opinion argue that the continuous relaying of images of destroyed houses and displaced people disturbs the people psychologically.

TVM has reduced the coverage to some extent now, perhaps because of the criticism.

I have not watched most of the live coverage by TVM and feel that I have missed a lot of footage and news about the event.

On Sunday night I was watching TVM to have some updates about the crisis. One of the features of the live coverage is calling government officials in islands, and asking them over phone, the situation of the islands.

While I was watching TVM, the presenter called Ahmed Firaq, the official in charge of the Island Office of Thulusdhoo. Firaq described the damage the tsunami caused to the island. He said that initially 15 families were forced to move out of their homes but now only 5 families were homeless.

Firaq also said the people were waiting for aid to come from Male'. The presenter, Shakeeb, asked if that was financial aid. Firaq replied that the people were waiting for any type of aid to come. He said the people were also complaining that TVM was not making enough inquiries about the status of their island.

Shakeeb admitted that there may be some islands that TVM has not been able to contact yet. They were doing their best.

He then called another island that TVM had not previously contacted: Makunudhoo in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

Makunudhoo is an isolated island to the west of Haa Dhaalu Atoll and it forms a natural atoll. Because of the isolation of the island, it was traditionally used to banish political prisoners. It is located on the western rim of Maldives.

Luckily Makunudhoo was not affected by the tsunami. The official from the island said that they also saw the tide rising up but the swell did not flood the island. The people of Makunudhoo then helped the neighbouring island of Maroshi in Shaviyani Atoll.

Thulusdhoo is the capital island of Male' Atoll and it is a centre for industrial activities. There are factories located there including a bottling plant for Coca Cola. It is quite near to Male' and can be reached in two hours in a mechanized wooden boat (dhoni) or in about 40 minutes by a speedboat.

I must find the time to watch the state-owned TVM. Even if it disturbs me.

written by: niOS

Library of Life creates memorial of tsunami tragedy

2005-01-16T02:10:00.000+05:00

Library of Life is a website that compiles stories of millions of people around the world. The website raises funds for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Library of Life is creating a living memorial of the tsunami tragedy through photographs, film, sound, text and scanned documents.

Library of Life, in association with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, invites the families and friends of those lost in the recent Asia disaster to create an everlasting memorial to their loved ones.

The website also features a 'Tsunami Book of Condolence' which the visitors could sign.

The decision to evacuate the people of Maldives lies with the people: Annan

2005-01-12T15:14:00.000+05:00

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said the decision whether to evacuate the people of Maldives lies with the Maldives' people, reports Hilath Rasheed from Haveeru. Annan held a press conference at the airport before leaving Maldives on Monday after concluding his tour of the countries hit by the tsunami.

“I think it is a decision that has to be made by the leaders and the government of Maldives,” Annan told a press conference at the Male International Airport before wrapping up a two-day visit in which he visited Kolhufushi and Vilufushi, two southern islands which were devastated by the tsunami which left more than 2000 people homeless on these two islands alone.

Annan pointed out that while Indian Ocean states are presently pondering on setting up a tsunami warning system, Maldives faces a difficult and unique situation because there is no higher ground in the 1,190 islands which do not rise 1.5 meters above sea level.

Officials of Maldives have floated the idea of emigrating to Australia should sea level rise by one meter over the next 50 to 100 years due to global warming as predicted by scientists. However, the Maldives government had previously refuted the idea and the Australian government has said that it has received no such request from the Maldives' government.

Scientists have said that last month’s tsunami was a “dress rehearsal” for Maldives before it will be totally submerged by waves sometime this century.

Annan also praised the strong communtiy spirit and voluntarism among the islanders.

“I am happy to hear that (Maldives) children will be going to school this month. It shows that the healing has already started here,” Annan told reporters late Sunday after meeting President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at the five-star Kurumba Maldives resort which was one of the few islands which escaped with relatively minor damages from last month’s tsunami.

“I am surprised by the strong community spirit and sense of voluntarism among the islanders. In the two islands I visited today, I saw how people from one island were helping the other after the tsunami left many homeless. This shows much promise for Maldives’ recovery and reconstruction efforts,” Annan said.

Annan said that at the pledging conference to be held in Geneva on Tuesday, where he would make a flash appeal for 977 million dollars for recovering efforts of Asia’s 12 affected countries, he would try to get 66 million dollars for Maldives’ relief efforts.

The Maldives’ government has said that the country will need more than 200 million dollars for relief efforts and another 1.5 billion dollars for reconstruction.

Annan says Maldivian social system had been destabilised after the tsunami

2005-01-12T14:59:00.000+05:00

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visits the National Disaster Management Centre set up in Male', Maldives on January 9. Photo: Eagan

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said that the Maldivian social system has been destabilised after the tsunami, reports AFP's Amal Jayasinghe. Annan spoke to reporters before he left Maldives on Monday concluding his tour of the countries hit by the tsunami.

As he left the Maldives after a 24-hour visit, the UN secretary general told reporters that although death and destruction in this tiny Indian Ocean atoll nation was not as bad as in other Asian countries, it had paid a high social price.

"One cannot look at it in terms of numbers alone," Annan said when asked for his assessment at the end of his tour.

"The destruction and death in other countries is worse, but extensive damage has been caused in the Maldives where one third of the population has been affected."

Annan is hoping to raise a billion dollars at a pledging conference the United Nations is calling in Geneva Tuesday. He said a part of that money will go to the Maldives, but could not say how much.

However, the UN office here said they were looking at 66.5 million dollars for immediate relief work. The Maldives has estimated its losses at 1.3 billion dollars.

Kofi Annan arrives in Maldives

2005-01-10T02:37:00.000+05:00

UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan has arrived in Maldives on January 9 at noon.

Annan will visit Kolhufushi island in Meemu Atoll and Vilufushi island of Thaa Atoll on Monday, January 10. Both islands were devastated by the tsunami.

Annan, the first UN Secretary General to visit Maldives, arrived after visiting Sri Lanka, in his tour of the countries affected by the tsunami.

Link to AFP's Amal Jayasinghe's article 'Maldives to show Kofi Annan how paradise was lost'

Link to Haveeru's Hilath Rasheed's article 'Annan calls on tsunami survivors to look ahead towards the future'

Commonwealth sends disaster relief coordinator to Maldives

2005-01-10T02:23:00.000+05:00

The Commonwealth Secretariat has send a disaster relief coordinator to the Maldives to coordinate the relief and rehabilitation work following the tsunami disaster, Haveeru reports.

Colonel Linton Graham of Jamaica will assist in co-ordinating relief efforts to meet the urgent needs of the country, as it comes to terms with the consequences of the tsunami, in which over 80 people lost their lives. His key tasks will be to facilitate an assessment of the immediate and long-term needs of the Maldives, and to support the establishment of the necessary infrastructure and logistical mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid to the country. Colonel Graham will report to the National Disaster Management Centre.

Colonel Graham has co-ordinated relief efforts in Jamaica after extensive floods in 1979 and 1997, and the destruction caused by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. He also assisted in hurricane relief work in Haiti. He also has formal training in disaster management and considerable practical experience.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon appointed Colonel Graham after the government of Maldives requested for assistance, Ghanaweb.com reports.

Announcing his appointment, the Secretary-General said, "Colonel Graham brings substantial experience of managing disasters in small island states.

"I am sure he will make a valuable contribution in assisting an island nation, which has sadly demonstrated its particular vulnerability to natural disasters".

Malnutrition extremely high in Maldives even before tsunami struck

2005-01-09T15:22:00.000+05:00

The government of the Maldives has told Reuters recently that 79 islands of the country are without safe drinking water. In the wake of the tsunami disaster, another issue to be concerned is malnutrition. The country had a very high rate of malnutrition even before the tsunami struck.

WHO Country Cooperation Strategy, Maldives (Report of the First Mission, 28 May 2000 -1 June 2000) – 2003 has highlighted the issue.

Malnutrition among children below five years of age is extremely high with the national figures of 1996 (Maldives Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Report) indicating 22.36% stunted, 14.5% wasted and 37.5% undernourished. There is a high prevalence of anaemia and also iodine deficiency disorders. Vitamin A deficiency is considered to be a public health problem; however, a full assessment using biochemical analysis is needed to establish the definitive situation.

The UNDP has also noted the issue:

Access to food and food security has also been a major problem in the Maldives, this is coupled with very high malnutrition in the country believed to be a result of both unavailability of nutritious foods and deficiencies in food habits. The soils of Maldives are alkaline deficient in nitrogen, potassium and several micro nutrients and of low water holding capacity. Such soil characteristics are major constraints towards the development of successful conventional agricultural production systems.

Malnutrition among children was an issue UNICEF has been addressing in the Maldives.

For Bergmann, a sign of genuine progress would be the improvement of the population’s poor diet and the reduction of child malnutrition. UNICEF is working with the government of the Maldives to enrich the country’s monotonous diet, which consists mainly of tuna, rice and roshi (a type of bread).

American Red Cross is working to provide food and safe water to areas affected by the tsunami.

The American Red Cross is partnering with the World Food Program, a United Nations agency, to provide $50 million to deliver and distribute emergency food rations for more than 2 million people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives for six months. These food rations are fortified to ensure proper nutrition and are culturally appropriate.

The American Red Cross sent a water and sanitation expert to help assess the water-related needs in the Maldives. American Red Cross water and sanitation specialists are skilled at setting up systems to provide mass numbers of disaster victims with safe drinking water, water for hygiene purposes, and safe disposal of waste. Additionally, the Red Cross will help provide safe drinking water, water for sanitation purposes, and safe waste disposal systems.

Maldivian official says emergency relief operation almost complete

2005-01-09T13:54:00.000+05:00

A Maldivian official has told Xinhua that the emergency relief operation in the Maldives is almost complete, The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog says.

"The situation is under control," Adam Maniku, Deputy Minister of Maldivian Finance and Treasury Department told Xinhua in the National Disaster Management Center.

"That means nobody is dying, nobody is hungry, no diseases. Those who were displaced have been resettled to temporary centres," Maniku added. He said the relief operation is going to the second phase -- the reconstruction of the affected areas of the country. Maniku said he personally thinks the second stage will take at least five years.

Full article from Xinhua

How will the tsunami change Maldives

2005-01-09T02:44:00.000+05:00

The tsunami that hit the Maldives on December 26 is the largest natural disaster in the recorded history of the small country. This disaster is a regional one causing destruction in several countries in South and South-East Asia. In many aspects, this is an international catastrophe; several Europeans and Americans have died in the wake of the killer waves.

As societies try to manage the disaster and make plans for the future, one this is certain. This disaster will have long-term effects and will shape the course of history.

Donald G. McNeil Jr. has written a well-researched article in The New York Times about the impact of natural disasters on history. Dr. Brian M. Fagan, an archaeologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara, tells McNeil Jr., that in 1550 B.C., the Mediterranean overflowed with the melting of the last Ice Age and covered human settlements in the area. And in about 1600 B.C., the Santorino volcano melted and sent waves across Mediterranean. The destruction it caused to Crete, the capital of Minoan Empire, was instrumental in weakening and the ultimate downfall of the empire. Likewise, earthquakes, El-Nino storms and a tsunami may have weakened Moche civilisation of Peru in sixth century A.D.

The Dec. 26 tsunami will probably not end a civilization. But it did worsen the prospects for a nation's existence. The Maldives, dependent on tourism, lost habitable islands and a quarter of its 95 resorts, and suffered damage equal to double its gross domestic product. The government's spokesman admitted that its future was in peril. (In 2001, Tuvalu, a nation of nine coral atolls, agreed with New Zealand that all 11,000 Tuvalans would resettle there.)

Dr Diane E. Davis, a professor of political sociology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pointed out political significance of such events to McNeil Jr. The Mexico City earthquake of 1985 was a catalyst to end 71 years of autocratic rule in Mexico.

In relief efforts run by the Mexican military and police, aid packages were brazenly stolen, and police officers were assigned to rescue sewing machines from a collapsed garment factory while bodies lay in its rubble. Instead of rebuilding merchant blocks in downtown Mexico City, the government tried to clear them for modern buildings.

The earthquakes in Turkey and Greece in 1999 contributed to improved relations between the two countries as Dr. Michael H. Glantz, an expert on early warning systems at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, tells McNeil Jr.

It is too early to determine if the current disaster will pave the way for better relations between rival factions in Aceh or Sri Lanka. And what will the future hold for the tiny island nation of the Maldives?

People sleeping in boats

2005-01-07T21:49:00.000+05:00

Homeless people in some islands of Maldives are sleeping in boats. Kolhufushi island in Meemu Atoll is one such island where people affected by the tsunami are sleeping in boats. Temporary shelters are being built for them.

Washington Post has published an AP report on this.

Oxfam distributing bottled water in Maldives

2005-01-06T11:17:00.000+05:00

The blog Kinshasa On The Potomac says Oxfam is distributing in Maldives a 55-ton bottled water shipment donated by the British Somerfield supermarket chain. Lack of safe drinking water is a problem several islands face after the tsunami hit the Maldives.

A quote from an Oxfam press release says:

"This bottled water will keep people alive for a week or so until there are improvements in distribution and desalinization methods, said Manolo Bedran, Oxfams water and sanitation engineer in the Maldives. There are small isolated communities on outlying islands whose water supplies have been destroyed and who are utterly reliant on aid. This will go to them."

79 islands without safe drinking water

2005-01-06T11:11:00.000+05:00

The government of the Maldives says 79 islands are without safe drinking water. The government has also told Reuters that 14 islands have been evacuated, 26 islands are without electricity, 24 islands have no telephones and four islands have no communication facilities at all after the tsunami ravaged the country.

The government on Wednesday raised the official death toll across the chain of 1,200 islands to 82, with 26 people still unaccounted for.
Shaheed said of 199 inhabited islands, 53 had suffered severe damage to buildings while infrastructure on about 20 had been "totally destroyed."

"The tsunami had within a few minutes set the country back by at least two decades as far as socioeconomic development is concerned," he said.

A conservative estimate of $1.3 billion for infrastructure repairs is still twice the country's annual gross domestic product (GDP).

UN Secretary General to visit Maldives

2005-01-06T02:40:00.000+05:00

UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan is to visit the Maldives from January 9 to11 to evaluate the damage of the tsunami on Maldives and hold dsicussions on reconstruction efforts, the website of Ministry of Information, Maldives has reported.

Another House in Henveyru, Male', Maldives

2005-01-05T18:36:00.000+05:00

A house in Male' affected by the flood after the tsunami struck Maldives. Photo: Thoha

House in Henveyru, Male', Maldives, Part 3: Dejavu

2005-01-05T18:34:00.000+05:00

Inside the house we met Kalhu Huthu, 70, the owner of the house. He said stoves and ovens were all destroyed by the flood. They had no means of cooking. Kalhu Huthu makes a living by selling second-hand goods. Back in 1987, when a tidal wave hit Male', the house was located in the periphery. The damage was worse then. There were no structures at the time to shield his house from the waves. Now the landscape of Male' has changed considerably. Sitting inside his house, Kalhu Huthu said he and his family have many memories of the 1987 tidal wave. He had young children back then. Now they have all grown up. Seventeen years after the tidal wave, to experience the tsunami was like a dejavu. We left, promising to direct aid to the household. written by: niOS, Photos: Eagan

House in Henveyru, Male', Maldives, Part 2: Aggrevated conditions

2005-01-05T18:20:00.000+05:00

Five families were living cramped in the small house. Because of the tsunami the condition of the house had been aggrevated. The land scarcity and the high population of Male' makes life very difficult. Rents are high, living costs are high and the city is cogested with traffic. written by: niOS, Photos: Eagan, Thoha

House in Henveyru, Male', Maldives, Part 1: Naive

2005-01-05T18:12:00.000+05:00

The general feeling was the population of Male' was not affected much by the tsunami. We came to know of a family which lost many household items, and decided to visit them. On arrival, we were met by the sight of a young boy in front of the house. He was smiling broadly and his face did not show any sign of alarm. Two days ago the flood had destroyed so many things in his house and his family was affected by the disaster, but there he was, naive and unaware of the implications of the tragedy unfolding around him. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha, Eagan

A survivor

2005-01-05T05:13:00.000+05:00

Abdul Sathar, in his 50s, is a man from Dhiffushi island in Male' Atoll. Dhiffushi is an island known for fishery and like so many of his fellow islanders Sathar was a fisherman. However, faced with a long spell of illness, and unable to get adequate treatment, Sathar was forced to quit work. Sitting in a chair on the corridor of Majeediyya School hall, on December 28, Sathar recalled how it was like when the tsunami struck. He said he was in the toilet when the waves came. He shouted for help and is lucky to be among the survivors. He said he liked to sit in the corridor and get a breath of fresh air. written by: niOS, Photos: Eagan, Thoha

whole night in a fishing boat

2005-01-05T05:03:00.000+05:00

Fathimath, in her 60s, is one of the woman from Dhiffushi island who was moved to the relief camp in Majeediyya School, Male'. Sitting on a table in a corridor in front of a classroom, on December 28, Fathimath recalled the events after the tsunami struck. The people were instructed to board the fishing boats. They had stayed in the boats and briefly returned to the island only to go back to the boats. They spent the whole night in boats before they were instructed to go to Male'. The authorities had issued a warning that swells may cause flooding during high tide in the afternoon and past midnight. People did not want to stay in the island and face the destruction again. Fathimath said that she had no immediate desire to go back to the island, knowing that it was in no state to live. written by: niOS, Photos: Eagan, Thoha

on the way to the hospital

2005-01-05T04:47:00.000+05:00

A woman is taken in an ambulance to hospital from the relief camp in Majeediyya School, Male'. Photo: Eagan

Reflecting on loss of a lifetime

2005-01-05T04:45:00.000+05:00

In the islands people toil hard to build homes and to build lives. With the destructive waves, whole houses have collapsed and what was built during a lifespan have been swept away. The elderly people in the relief camp at Majeediyya School, Male', must be reflecting on the loss of what they had built in a lifetime. written by: niOS, Photos: Eagan

Volunteers

2005-01-05T04:14:00.000+05:00

Volunteers were the backbone of the relief camp set up in Majeediyya School, Male'. From the moment the people from Dhiffushi were brought to Male' they were assisted by a number of people who brought soaps, towels, clothes and other essential items. Volunteers were there to help the elderly and to assist the sick and the injured. They were there to clean the toilets and feed the people. NGOs, scouts and girl guides were there. The camp was run by the National Security Service. Police were also offering their assistance. A volunteer said they still needed many things for the camp, especially stuff like detergents, because there was one toilet block for all the people, and it was being constantly used. On December 28 things were a bit hectic in the camp, because there were so many things to organise. written by: niOS, Photos: Eagan, Thoha

Child on balcony

2005-01-05T04:02:00.000+05:00

A child stands in a balcony of a classroom block in Majeediyya School, Male', where a relief camp has been set up for the people of islands affected by the tsunami. Photo: Thoha

Watching TV

2005-01-05T03:59:00.000+05:00

A child watches television in the relief camp at Majeediyya School in Male' set up for the people from islands hit hard by the tsunami. Photo: Eagan

Toys for recovery

2005-01-05T03:58:00.000+05:00

Children from Dhiffushi island play with toys while in the relief camp at Majeediyya School, Male'. Photo: Eagan

helping overcome trauma

2005-01-05T03:53:00.000+05:00

The children were slowly getting used to the life in the relief camp in Majeediyya School, Male'. There were several activities available to them in the camp and this was essential to keep the frightful memories of the disaster away from their young minds. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

sleeping in peace

2005-01-05T03:43:00.000+05:00

A boy sleeps peacefully in the relief camp in Majeediyya School in Male'. An elderly man sleeps in the same camp. They were finally able to relax after long hours of tension and uncertainty. After waking up from their sleep, they will have to adjust to new lives. The old way of life has been taken away from them by the tsunami. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

Resting

2005-01-05T03:37:00.000+05:00

An old man rests in the relief camp set up in Majeediyya School in Male' for people evacuated from islands hit hard by the tsunami. Photo: Thoha

Children from Dhiffushi

2005-01-05T03:30:00.000+05:00

Children from Dhiffushi island playing in the relief camp in Majeediyya School, Male'. Photos: Thoha

Life in relief camp

2005-01-05T03:24:00.000+05:00

Mattresses had been put on the ground for the people to sleep in the relief camp set up in Mjaeediyya School, Male'. A number of people had offered help and sent clothes and other essential things for the people living in the camp. Some residents of Male' even opened their doors to the people from tsunami-struck islands and accommodated them. Photos: Eagan, Thoha

Glimpses of a relief camp

2005-01-05T03:12:00.000+05:00

By Tuesday, December 28th, a relief camp had been established and was running in Majeediyya School in Male'. The people from Dhiffushi island were accommodated there. There were women, children and elderly people who were living in the camp because their island was devastated by the tsunami. Majeediyaa School is the oldest boys school in the country. On a signboard fixed on an upper floor the motto of the school was printed: Nihil Labore Difficile (Nothing is Difficult with Hard Work). Behind the signboard two boys from Dhiffushi were looking down to the ground below. One of them was peering through a set of binoculars. They were observing the life in the camp. It will be very difficult for these people to return back to their normal lives, even with a lot of hard work. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

Ocean-10 in silence

2005-01-04T04:39:00.000+05:00

A lone NSS serviceman walks past Ocean-10 after the people who came from Thaa Atoll and their relatives left the area. The ambulances had gone, the people had gone and Ocean-10 lay in the harbour, its doors closed, in silence. The whole area was silent, as if contemplating on the human suffering it had witnessed only moments ago. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

Heartbreaking news from Thaa Atoll

2005-01-04T04:36:00.000+05:00

The news that arrived with the people from Thaa Atoll was that eleven people from Vilufushi island were misisng and four had died. The island was devastated by the tsunami. After waiting a whole night for any news, this was just too much that the people could take. They stood there struck by grief, shocked and dazed. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

Sad reunion

2005-01-04T04:14:00.000+05:00

Most of the people who arrived in Ocean-10 were from the island of Vilufushi in Thaa Atoll. It was a sad reunion. As they embraced their relatives, their faces were filled with grief, because they were burdened with news that was not very easy to break. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

Filled with emotion

2005-01-04T04:04:00.000+05:00

It was emotional moment when the people from Thaa Atoll came out of the boat and met their waiting relatives. They had come after seeing the suffering of their friends and relatives back in the atoll. They had arrived after going through the destruction of the tsunami, after witnessing the horror of the wave. Furthermore, they came with distressing news. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

Sick and injured from Thaa Atoll

2005-01-04T03:56:00.000+05:00

The sick and injured people from Thaa Atoll were taken out of the boat in stretchers and put inside ambulances by the NSS. These were the people the boat could accommodate. There were still many more without food or clothing and facing other difficulties. Photos: Thoha

Waiting for news from Thaa Atoll

2005-01-04T03:41:00.000+05:00

By 7.00 am on December 27, the pier of the southwestern harbour of Male' was crowded with people. Most of them were from Thaa Atoll and they were waiting for relatives who were arriving in a high speed boat. The family of Mr Abdulla Jameel, a former cabinet minister, were camping on an uninhabited island in Thaa Atoll. Jameel hired Ocean-10 to bring back his family. Jameel's sons Athif and Mauroof went in the boat to islands of Thaa Atoll and picked many injured and sick people. The people gathered near the harbour were anxious to meet their relatives. They had not heard any news from the atoll. There was dead silence as the waiting continued. written by: niOS, Photos: Thoha

After a night in boats

2005-01-04T03:21:00.000+05:00

At dawn, on December 27, the people from Dhiffushi island in Male' Atoll were being brought to Male'. The tsunami had struck hard on Dhiffushi. They were brought in a Coast Guard vessel and boats from Dhiffushi. The injured were taken in ambulances to hospital. The rest were taken to Majeediyaa School where a relief camp was subsequently set up.

One young man who arrived in a wooden boat (dhoni) said they had been in the boat since 6.00 pm on December 26. The women and children with elderly had stayed in the crowded boat throughout the night, with uncertainty and fear of more waves. The young man said two more boats were on their way to Male'. The island of Dhiffushi had been evacuated and the people were heading for what they hoped was safety.

by: niOS

When the sun set on December 26

2005-01-04T01:59:00.000+05:00

When the sun set on December 26, most people of Male' were aware that the islands of the Maldives were not in a very fine condition. Several tourists had been brought to Male' to treat injuries. There were reports from resorts that the tsunami had hit the resorts and caused damages. There was no contact with some of the resorts. What was most troubling was the fact that most islands of the Maldives could not be reached by telephone.

Male' is a congested capital city with just a kilometer in length. Among its 80,000 plus residents are about 20,000 expatriates and scores of people from islands who came to the capital for better education, healthcare and jobs. For these people there was no means of communicating with their relatives in the islands. These people became quite upset and restless.

The government created a Task Force and based it in Iskandhar School. People flocked there to get some news of their loved ones. Tables were set up to issue news of different atolls. But with the communications breakdown there was simply no news from most atolls.

Whatever news that came from nearby islands confirmed that the people were affected by the tsunami and they were in need of food and clothing. People volunteered in numbers to offer clothing. Aid from volunteers were being collected at Iskandhar School and Aminiyya School.

by: niOS

Injured tourists

2005-01-03T04:16:00.000+05:00

Injured tourists from a resort are escorted into a waiting ambulance. About three tourists died and several were injured in the Maldives because of the tsunami. Photo: Thoha

an incident of greater significance

2005-01-03T04:10:00.000+05:00

As injured people were brought from nearby islands and resorts the reality began to sink in, that it was not an incident exclusive to Male', but one of greater significance. Photos: Thoha

Disaster Unseen

2005-01-03T03:49:00.000+05:00

By noon we were walking through the streets of Male', observing the damage caused by the tsunami. As Male' had experienced a tidal wave in 1987, we believed this was a similar one, even though we knew this one was triggered by the earthquake we felt in the morning. There were no deaths, no injuries and no large scale damage to houses and buildings in Male'. Little did we realize that the rest of the country was suffering while we were walking around Male'. We did not know that men and women were running around, wailing and screaming, swimming frantically for their survival in several other islands of the country. We were not aware that women were clutching to their babies and parents were holding on to their children in desperation, as the forces of the tsunami created havoc across the country.

by: niOS

protective layer

2005-01-03T03:46:00.000+05:00

The tetrapods that formed the protective layer for Male' is littered with debris after the tsunami hit Male'. The capital city of the Maldives did not absorb as much impact from the tidal wave as the other islands of the country did and whether this was due to the tetrapods remains to be seen. Much of the carnage in the country was occuring in the outer islands while the residents of Male' walked through the flooded streets of Male'. Photo: Thoha

naive and innocent

2005-01-03T03:39:00.000+05:00

Children play near the seawall on the eastern side of Male' after the tsunami hit the city. The street was flooded and this was the place where the waves crashed only hours earlier. The children were very casual and were not aware of the possible dangers if a second tidal wave had hit. Photo: Thoha

Child watches

2005-01-03T03:34:00.000+05:00

A child stands near the doorway of her home, which is fortified with sandbags, after the tsunami hit Male' on December 26 morning. Photo: Thoha

a walk near surf

2005-01-03T03:33:00.000+05:00

A foreign couple walks down Boduthakurufaanu Magu, the road around Male', after the tidal wave hit the city on December 26 morning. Photo: Thoha

Man watches

2005-01-03T03:29:00.000+05:00

A man looks out from the door of a shop in Male' at the flooded streets after the tsunami hit the city on December 26. Photo: Thoha

repairing the pavement

2005-01-03T03:25:00.000+05:00

The pavement of the street collpased in front of the Bank of Maldives building due to the impact of the wave. Work began swiftly to repair the pavement and the street and it was returned to normal condition by the end of the week. Photos: Thoha

Cleaning up Male'

2005-01-03T03:19:00.000+05:00

National Security Service (NSS) engaged in cleaning up the large corals from the street in the eastern side of Male'. NSS also worked hard on December 26 to pump out the flood water from the streets of Male'. By the next day, almost all flood water was pumped out. Photo: Thoha

reef on street

2005-01-03T03:16:00.000+05:00

Large corals from the reef washed ashore on to the street in the eastern side of Male'. Photos: Thoha

inspecting the damage

2005-01-03T03:11:00.000+05:00

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom inspects the damages at the Local Market area on December 26. Photo: Thoha

boat on the street

2005-01-03T03:09:00.000+05:00

A man rides a motorbike past a speedboat that had come ashore with the swells in Male'. Photo: Thoha

sunken boats

2005-01-03T03:02:00.000+05:00

The boats moored in the southwestern harbour of Male' were damaged by the wave. Some boats had sunk while others had to be lifted out of the water. Photos: Thoha, Eagan

coconuts and bananas

2005-01-03T02:53:00.000+05:00

Coconuts, bananas, watermelons and other produce from islands drifted away from Local Market with the flood and some items could be seen in front of the Presidential Palace on December 26 morning. Photos: Thoha, Eagan

after the flood

2005-01-03T02:41:00.000+05:00

The people inspected the damages the wave caused to Male'. Photos: Thoha

reaction to flood

2005-01-03T02:30:00.000+05:00

As the streets of Male' were flooded by the tsunami, the people came out of their homes. Only the streets near the sea were flooded. Some people took sandbags and stacked them near the doorways as a protection, while others waited in the neighbourhood with anxiety. Photos: Thoha

keeping boats away

2005-01-03T02:16:00.000+05:00

After the wave, boats travelling between Male' and airport were kept out of the inner harbour of Male' as a precaution against further waves and the sinking tide. Photo: Thoha

Deserted cafés

2005-01-02T22:38:00.000+05:00

On a normal day, the cafés near the southwestern harbour of Male' would be bustling with people. However, on December 26, there was nobody sipping hot black tea there. The whole area was flooded and some of the chairs had been swept away by the flood. Photo: Eagan

In the bazaar

2005-01-02T20:56:00.000+05:00

The bazaar in the northwestern side of Male' was hit by the waves. This is the shopping area that offers consumer goods for the traders from the atolls. The shops in this area also supply the goods for the corner shops in Male'. The photos show shop workers trying to save the goods. Photos: Eagan

trying to save coconuts

2005-01-02T20:16:00.000+05:00

The wave destroyed the produce that the people from the atolls had brought to Local Market to sell. Bananas and coconuts were floating in the water. The men, whose livelihood depends on what they sell at the market, tried frantically to save the products. Photos: Eagan

a strange tide

2005-01-02T19:51:00.000+05:00

After the waves flooded Male', the crew of the small wooden boats moored in front of the 'Local Market' waited with fear and anxiety. They had experienced a phenomenon they had never seen in their entire lives on the sea. With the backwash of the waves, the water beneath the boats was sucked out and the boats almost ran aground. Then gruadually the tide went up, only to go down again. Several people gathered there, to watch the tide go up and down. Most of the boats were from other atolls, and had brought traders who came to Male' to sell their products such as fruits and vegetables and take back consumer goods to the atolls. These boats are also a primary mode of transportation between Male' and the outer islands. The crew tried to steady the boats using the mooring ropes. It was a scene filled with surprise and tension. Photos: Eagan

a walk through flood

2005-01-02T14:33:00.000+05:00

A boy walks through the flooded streets of Male' on December 26. Photo: Eagan

fighting the flood

2005-01-02T14:28:00.000+05:00

Residents of a household in Male' throw out the flooded water inside the house while sand bags are stacked on the doorway to guard the house from further flooding. Photo: Eagan

guardian of the city

2005-01-02T13:52:00.000+05:00

The tetrapods were put around Male' to protect the city from tidal waves, after the waves flooded parts of Male' in 1987. They were meant to safeguard the city from rising sea level associated with global warming. The tsunami that hit the city on 26 December was totally unexpected and this photo shows the tetrapods, donated by Japan, seperating the flooded streets and the sea which swelled. Photo: Eagan

The house is shaking

2004-12-30T17:07:00.000+05:00

"Wake up! The house is shaking!" my father woke from sleep at about 6.30 am. He was a bit upset. He told me the other members of my family were on the street. "Get out of the house!" he repeated.

I lay on the bed feeling the tremor as the bed shook. It was a mild tremor. I instantly realized that it was an earthquake. We don't experience earthquakes but we do feel tremors from earthquakes in the region. We had felt a similar one last year. So I lay on the bed, without worrying, till the tremors passed.

My family came back from the street. They said some of the people on the street saw parked cars also shaking.

I went back to sleep. I was awakened by the ring of my phone. It was about 9.30 am. "Where are you? There has been a tidal wave. Parts of Male' are flooded!" one of my friends broke the news.

by: niOS