Students returning home from school near the east coast town of Iccilampattai. Many students will have to make up for lost time from the tsunami - and some 190 educational facilities were damaged or destroyed.
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Sri Lanka faces great challenges, according to a Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment prepared jointly by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and the World Bank. The report estimates direct losses from the tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 at US$1 billion.
Reconstruction costs are pegged at around US$1.5 billion.
 That’s seven percent of the country’s annual domestic economic output (GDP). In human terms, the devastation is widespread, and the needs are great. The coastal areas hit by the tsunami are among the poorest parts of Sri Lanka. Nearly 100,000 homes have been destroyed, and some 443,000 people remain displaced. THE ECONOMY
Fishermen and their families, as well as those who work in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, have been hardest hit. At this time, it is estimated that some 200,000 people have lost their jobs. Reconstruction needs will increase imports, widening the country’s trade balance.Â
>>>read detailed reports on important parts of Sri Lanka’s economy THE HUMAN TOLL
Women and children seem to be disproportionately represented  
Fishermen on the coast near Trincomalee. More than two-thirds of Sri Lanka's fishing boats were damaged or destroyed. >>>learn more (pdf) |
 among the disaster’s dead and injured. More than 900 children have become orphans, or separated from their parents. The emotional trauma caused by the disaster means there’s a great need for psychological counseling and social support for families. Neighborhood and family bonds are strong in Sri Lankan society, and strengthening those bonds will be crucial to success. Sadly, women and children often suffer even more after a disaster – and that may be the case in Sri Lanka, where there have been reports of sexual harassment, rape, and child abduction. Urgent action is required to protect the safety and health of women and children in camps. There is also a need to raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. A LEGACY OF CONFLICT
It is perhaps a cruel irony that Sri Lanka’s North East – portions of which are controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - was severely hit by the tsunami; it is this region where years of civil conflict have killed 65,000 people. Even before the tsunami struck, the unemployment rate was estimated to be double the national average. Any plan for post-tsunami reconstruction must consider this political situation and ensure mechanisms that facilitate the redevelopment of all regions.
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