December 27 2004
SOS Children's Village facilities undamaged in South Asia catastrophe regions
27/12/2004 - On December 26, a massive underwater earthquake sent devastating giant waves into coastlines across the Indian Ocean killing at least 25,000 people. The death toll continues to rise steadily. All SOS Children's Village facilities in the affected regions remained undamaged. In Sri Lanka, the SOS Social Centre Batticaloa is serving as a refugee camp for families who have lost their homes.
A representative of SOS Children's Villages in the region issued the following initial report:
In India, the south coastal area around Chennai suffered major damage but the SOS Children's Village in Chennai remained undamaged as it is far from the ocean. Another disaster-hit area is Vishakapatnam. The SOS Children's Village there is only 500 metres from the water but remained virtually unscathed as it lies on an elevation of approximately 200 feet. SOS Children's Village employees are currently assessing the situation in these areas in order to determine how help can be offered to those affected.
All SOS Children's Villages in quake-hit Indonesia were also unaffected by the natural disaster and the situation here is also currently being evaluated.
In east Sri Lanka, the SOS Social Centre in Batticaloa is serving as a refugee camp and is already offering humanitarian aid to families who have lost their homes as a result of the disaster.