The Latest News from Sri Lanka
Date: 13/01/05
This is the first news briefing of our activities and is going to those people and organisations who have so kindly donated, those who are helping, and those who are giving support.
My India team that arrived Tuesday 4th January has been deployed to the Galle area in the south, one of the worst affected areas. They are involved in protecting a warehouse containing food and other life support essentials (with matters being so desperate it's to avoid items being stolen, though I would stress, there have not been any recent reports of theft, but it is a very wise precaution) for those affected by the disaster, food distribution and related tasks. This has been a great help to the 70 or so volunteers, many of them the British ex-pat community, and those thousands upon thousands of people they are helping. Apparently there aren't any centres set up, just places on higher ground where thousands of homeless Sri Lankans have congregated.
My Gurkha team (the former and famous British Army Gurkhas from Nepal) that arrived on Wednesday (5th) is on the east coast in one of the Tamil fishing villages which was almost totally destroyed. There they are helping the survivors to clean wells, build latrines and shelters and other social work. All essential to try and prevent disease which is now the main priority.
Aid is starting to arrive, but with such a mammoth task, it is by no means enough.
The good news I can impart is that the third team funded as a result of very generous donations (the first Indian and Gurkha teams were funded by Securewest International) have also arrived and are working in fishing villages, what's left of them in the Galle area, and are involved with humanitarian support.
Donations continue to come in and I am hopeful to be able to deploy a fourth Gurkha team any day now.
I cannot speak too highly of my personnel in my India and Nepal offices, and my UK office who have been arranging this. They have been marvellous, there has been so much to do, so many obstacles to overcome, but they have succeeded and each team has been deployed fully equipped with tents, sleeping bags and food rations. They have medical kits, field kitchens and before departing were subject to a medical examination and inoculations against the type of diseases that are now threatening to strike. All this including transportation arranged in the shortest of time.
Starting today my India office contacts each team leader every morning to check on their welfare and to get a progress report. This will give me valuable information that I can put into this regular news report. Photographs are also coming.
Back in the UK James Cording & Co Accountants have kindly agreed to donate their time to overlook our income and expenditure and to independently audit our accounts to ensure that all funds are correctly spent, as I have said before, all donations go directly to this effort and none to administration and I wish there to be total transparency with what we are doing.
That's it for now, thank you again to all of you for your interest and support.
I close with my thoughts with those in Sri Lanka and areas affected by this terrible disaster.
John Casson
President
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