US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO125

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 COLOMBO 000125 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
STATE FOR TSUNAMI TASK FORCE 1 
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE 
DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
TSUNAMI RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM 
 
SIPDIS 
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS 
DCHA BUREAU FOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ROGER WINTER 
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD 
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER 
GENEVA FOR USAID KYLOH 
ROME PASS FODAG 
NSC FOR MELINE 
CDR USPACOM FO J3/J4/POLAD 
USEU PASS USEC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, AEMR, PREL, PGOV, CE, Tsunami, Maldives 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA AND MALDIVES - EARTHQUAKE AND 
TSUNAMIS:  USAID/DART SITREP #6 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  As of January 13, according to the Center for 
National Operations (CNO), the earthquake and tsunamis 
had killed 30,899 people in Sri Lanka.  The 
USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) 
conducted assessments in Ampara District and 
Trincomolee to view the damage caused by the 
earthquake and tsunamis and meet with USAID/Office of 
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) implementing 
partners. The USAID/DART continues to coordinate the 
transport of relief supplies and work closely with the 
U.S. Military in Colombo and Galle.  The USAID/DART is 
moving forward with a transitional shelter program. 
End summary. 
 
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Death Tolls 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  The CNO, which is responsible for the overall 
coordination of the relief effort in Sri Lanka, 
reports that as of January 13 at 1700 hours local 
time, the earthquake and tsunamis had killed 30,899 
people, injured 15,256 residents, displaced 425,620 
persons, completely damaged 90,143 houses, and 
partially damaged 41,622 houses.  Currently there are 
6,034 persons missing.  According to the CNO, there 
are 444 camps housing displaced persons. 
 
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Current Situation in Galle 
--------------------------- 
 
3.  A USAID/DART Logistics Officer (LO) is located in 
Galle in southern Sri Lanka to coordinate logistical 
planning with the U.S. Military, non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs), and Government of Sri Lanka 
(GOSL).  According to the LO, on January 11, the U.S. 
Military started general debris removal at the schools 
in Galle.  The U.S. Military's debris removal efforts 
will be confined to public use areas such as schools, 
hospitals, roads, bridges, and wells etc.  If private 
citizens and NGOs clear debris from private lands to 
the roadways, the U.S. Military can then remove the 
debris to a pre-established and approved dump site. 
The U.S. Military is also working with the Coastal 
Authority to replace rocks and boulders onto sea 
walls. 
 
4.  According to the USAID/DART, the U.S. Military is 
off-loading 26 pallets of supplies from one of its 
ships and transporting the supplies to a warehouse in 
Koggala south of Galle.  The U.S. Military is also 
going to start water purification in Galle and will 
offer water distribution if necessary. 
5.  The USAID/DART LO reported that the Central 
Environmental Authority designated a location for 
dumping at the Naval base north of Galle and is 
investigating a location for dumping south of Galle. 
 
6.  The USAID/DART LO stated that the U.S. Military, 
Sri Lankan Military, and railway engineers will 
conduct an assessment on January 14 to assess repairs 
and the clearing of the railway.  The U.S. Military is 
also considering the use of helicopters to move boats 
that are stranded on land.  If a stranded boat has 
been declared seaworthy, the U.S. Military will 
transport it to water.  If the boat is not seaworthy, 
it will be loaded onto a truck and transported to the 
boat yard. 
 
7.  The USAID/DART LO attended a NGO meeting on 
January 13 and reported that a Sri Lankan Military 
Representative stated that the GOSL would like to 
decrease the number of internally displaced person 
(IDP) camps in Galle to two or three semi-permanent 
camps.  At this same meeting, the Education Authority 
and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) advised that all 
schools are in need of latrines, and UNICEF is 
attempting to resolve this problem.  The Education 
Authority is also considering the possibility of 
providing Emergency and Disaster Management Training 
to school children, and they are trying to see how 
feasible it would be to provide this type of training. 
 
8.  According to the USAID/DART LO, UNICEF and the Sri 
Lankan Ministry of Health (MOH) identified an 
immediate need for water tanks and water delivery to 
tanks at all schools, as they have been without 
potable water.  UNICEF is reviewing the availability 
of tanks.  The USAID/DART reported that NGOs and the 
MOH are also concerned about the canals in Galle that 
have not been cleared and are in disrepair. 
 
----------------------------------- 
USAID/DART Trip to Ampara District 
----------------------------------- 
 
9.  On January 13, two USAID/DART Program Officers 
(POs) traveled to Ampara District in southeastern Sri 
Lanka to assess the damage caused by the earthquake 
and tsunamis and to visit USAID/OFDA implementing 
partners and their programs.  Christian Children's 
Fund (CCF) and UNICEF both have programs operating in 
Ampara District.  The USAID/DART POs visited two camps 
located in schools.  CCF has already started school- 
based programs, and USAID/DART POs observed classroom 
situations where children (ages 6 to 8) were playing, 
drawing, singing etc. 
----------------------------------------- 
USAID/DART Assessment trip to Trincomalee 
------------------------------------------ 
 
10.  On January 13, the USAID/DART 
Transition/Reconstruction Officer and a Military 
Liaison Officer (MLO) visited Trincomalee in 
northeastern Sri Lanka.  The USAID/DART team met with 
the representatives of the U.N. High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR) and USAID/Office of Transitional 
Initiatives (OTI) and toured the Kinniya District, one 
of those most heavily affected by the earthquake and 
tsunamis.  According to the UNHCR representative, 
 
SIPDIS 
there are 122,000 affected victims in Trincomalee or 
approximately one-third of the population.  The 
earthquake and tsunamis affected approximately 16,000 
homes, of which 6,000 were destroyed, the remainder 
were damaged.  The number of homeless people has been 
decreasing as victims move in with relatives or out of 
the area. 
 
11.  The UNHCR representative reported that the most 
immediate relief needs are being met; however, the 
representative expressed a number of concerns. 
Trincomalee is one of Sri Lanka's most ethnically 
diverse and poorest districts.  Ethnic tensions were 
an issue before the tsunami, and the representative 
feared that relief distributions and recovery efforts 
may exacerbate the situation unless handled carefully. 
Prior to the tsunami, UNHCR was handling a caseload of 
20,000 conflict IDPs (only a few of the conflict IDPs 
overlap with the tsunami victims) who will be watching 
closely for inequities in the provision of assistance. 
In addition since most people in Trincomalee, with the 
exception of lower paid government workers, are 
unemployed, any employment activities that target only 
tsunami victims (many who are Muslim) could be viewed 
 
SIPDIS 
as inequitable. 
 
12.  Tsunami victims are already seeing inequities 
even where they do not exist.  The UNHCR cited cases 
of victims in Trincomalee believing that the southern 
and western areas of Sri Lanka were receiving more 
favorable treatment even while they were in the midst 
of receiving relief supplies.  One factor that 
apparently contributed to this sense of inequity was 
the recent receipt of U.N. World Food Program (WFP) 
dry rations which reportedly contained rice (short 
grain) from Japan.  Trincomalee residents were 
reportedly unable to prepare rice in their normal 
fashion leading them to conclude that the rice was 
inferior and quote old end quote. 
 
13.  The USAID/DART also visited Kinniya District 
where the team witnessed the signing of an OTI grant 
for USD 54,401 which will support the clean up of ten 
districts that were severely affected by the tsunami. 
Four hundred Muslim and Tamil youth, organized by four 
local NGOs under the auspices of the local government 
officials, will be involved in cleaning activities. 
OTI will provide the materials and equipment, and the 
grantee will provide the management and organization 
of the effort.  Labor will be donated by the youth. 
 
14.  In Trincomalee, the USAID/DART witnessed severe 
damage to homes and infrastructure up to one km from 
the sea; however, the team also viewed the clearing of 
roads, opening of shops, and conditions appeared to be 
under control. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Coordination with U.S. Military 
-------------------------------- 
 
15.  The USAID/DART has a Field Officer (FO) posted to 
the CNO to coordinate with the U.S. Military, GOSL, 
and NGOs to ensure the successful transport of relief 
supplies.  For example, local growers in the Dambulla 
area of Matale District in central Sri Lanka have 
donated and offered produce at cost and organized the 
donations through the Food Processors Association, a 
group within the National Agrobusiness Council.  The 
U.S. Military is assisting in air operations to 
distribute these goods.  The produce is located in 
Dambulla in central Sri Lanka, and the U.S. Military 
will transport the produce from Dambulla to central 
distribution points in the provinces, and the produce 
will then be transported to camps.  According to the 
USAID/DART, the U.S. Military will transport 3 metric 
tons (MT), 6 MT, and 10 MT to Ampara on January 13, 
14, and 15, respectively. 
 
16.  According to the USAID/DART, there is a 
significant need for air support in Maldives, and the 
USAID/DART is discussing this need with the U.S. 
Military, which will be providing ground support in 
Maldives. 
 
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Shelter 
------------------- 
 
17.  Following a series of coordination meetings over 
the last ten days, UNHCR, the GOSL, and all of the 
major shelter relief organizations operating in Sri 
Lanka have come to a consensus regarding 
specifications for design of transitional housing. 
All USAID/OFDA implementing partners who will be 
funded in the shelter response were actively involved 
in working to bring about this outcome.  With this 
decision, these organizations can move forward to 
build at least 10,000 transitional shelters, with 
latrines, over the next six months. 
 
18.  On January 13, the USAID/DART Team Leader in Sri 
Lanka attended a shelter meeting hosted by UNHCR that 
included all international personnel working in the 
shelter sector. 
The purpose of the shelter meeting was to endorse this 
set of standards and proposals to ensure that all 
shelter projects meet specific quality standards so 
the GOSL can maintain a consistent approach to shelter 
projects.  According to the USAID/DART, a team of 
international shelter experts has been working closely 
with the GOSL on this issue.  This team recommended to 
the GOSL that tents should not be used as an option 
for shelter; however, due to the pressure to reopen 
schools by January 25 and relocate those IDPs located 
in school, tents will be required by the GOSL.  The 
team of experts is currently trying to assess the 
number of tents that are already in-country.  The GOSL 
is requesting 50,000 tents from the international 
community.  [Note:  Anecdotal evidence suggests that 
there are already a significant number of tents in- 
country.  End Note.] 
 
19.  The USAID/DART has been working with the team of 
shelter experts and agrees with their conclusion that 
transitional shelter is the most appropriate response. 
The GOSL has now sanctioned the use of transitional 
shelter.  The USAID/DART is moving forward with a 
transitional shelter program that will provide the 
GOSL with time and flexibility while it resolves land 
tenure issues and its long-term strategy on relocation 
and housing.  With transitional shelters, the material 
that is used to construct these shelters can then be 
reused in permanent housing once the GOSL has 
developed a housing plan. 
 
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Water and Sanitation 
--------------------- 
 
20.  On January 11, the USAID/DART Water and 
Sanitation Officer (WSO) attended a water/sanitation 
meeting at the Ministry of Urban Development and Water 
Supply.  The USAID/DART WSO reported that immediate 
water supply and sanitation needs in the camps are 
being addressed with available resources in 
coordination with the District Secretaries/Government 
Agents.  Drinking water needs are being met through 
water tankers and service connections in the camps, 
and temporary toilets are used to meet sanitation 
needs.  Based on assessments, water tankers are being 
used in areas until new service connections can be 
established, urgent repairs were completed to pipe 
borne water systems, and affected wells are being 
cleaned. 
 
21.  According to the USAID/DART WSO, priority is 
being placed on the disinfection of open dug wells. 
The water boards are reportedly distributing chlorine 
in all districts, and technicians are available to 
provide technical assistance with well cleaning and 
disinfection. 
 
22.  The USAID/DART WSO noted that a task force has 
been formed to discuss long-term development plans, 
and the task force is preparing a preliminary report 
on long-term needs. 
According to the USAID/DART WSO, 3,000 squatting 
plates have arrived in Sri Lanka, and 500 toilets had 
already been constructed.  UNICEF and the MOH are 
developing leaflets for health education that will be 
available at the health bureau offices and UNICEF. 
The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) is the lead 
agency for health coordination, and the WHO 
representative reported that not all affected people 
are in the habit of using toilets; as a result, health 
education is especially important in this area.  The 
WHO representative also reported that there have been 
no epidemics observed to date.  The USAID/DART has 
funded partners to address health education and 
sanitation (latrine construction) and will continue to 
monitor these efforts. 
23.  The USAID/DART WSO reported that the World Bank 
has made approximately 10 million USD available to the 
GOSL.  Money will be taken from current projects in 
health, community water supply and sanitation, and the 
North East Emergency Recovery Program to enable the 
GOSL to purchase emergency medicines, undertake 
epidemic prevention measures, provide cash to district 
offices, and supply water tanks, generators, pumps and 
other necessary equipment. 
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Food 
-------------- 
 
24.  As of January 11, the GOSL has provided 7,393 MT 
of food, including rice, sugar, dhal, and wheat flour, 
throughout the country.  Of this amount, approximately 
6,400 MT was distributed in the north and eastern 
provinces. 
 
25.  According to WFP, the current issues of concern 
are fresh produce and feeding affected people outside 
of camps.  From January 11 to June 30, the total food 
requirements for one million affected residents will 
be 85,000 MT, and WFP will donate 64,600 MT. 
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Protection 
---------------------- 
 
26.  The National Child Protection Agency (NCPA) and 
UNICEF have conducted a survey to determine the 
numbers of children who have lost one parent, 
separated from parents, and unaccompanied children. 
According to the results of the study, 3,202 children 
lost one parent, 858 children were separated from 
their parents, and there are 38 unaccompanied 
children.  The NCPA is currently attempting to 
register children, and their priorities regarding 
unaccompanied children are to reunite children with 
their families, place children in foster homes, or 
adoption. 
 
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Coordination 
------------------- 
 
27.  On January 12, the USAID/DART attended a donor's 
meeting where it was reported that district level 
coordination efforts on relief efforts between the 
GOSL and the LTTE were occurring quite well.  A U.N. 
Development Program (UNDP) representative seconded to 
the CNO reported that the most immediate relief 
efforts were being met now that the CNO was 
regularizing procedures. 
 
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USAID/DART Staffing 
--------------------- 
 
28.  As of January 14, there are 15 members of the 
USAID/DART in Sri Lanka, including two Foreign Service 
Nationals from USAID/Kathmandu.  Of the 15 USAID/DART 
members, one individual is in Galle and another team 
member is in Male, Maldives. 
 
LUNSTEAD