Longterm Recovery for Sri Lanka

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Long-term Recovery for Sri Lanka

• Reconnaissance Team Trip involving
• American Planning Association
• American Institute of Architects
• American Society of Landscape Architects
• American Society of Civil Engineers

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Team Members

• David Downey, AIA
• James Schwab, APA
• Kathrin Moore, APA (also member of AIA)
• Janice Olshesky, AIA
• Terrance Brown, AIA
• Tom Schmidt, AIA-Hong Kong
• Steve McCutcheon, ASCE
• Alan Fujimori, ASLA

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Impact of Tsunami

• Estimated 400-year event
• 35,000 deaths
• 99,000 homes destroyed
• More than 150 schools destroyed
• Estimated property loss 1 billion

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• Taken from Preliminary Damage and Needs
  Assessment prepared jointly by the Asian
  Development Bank (ADB), Japan Bank for
  International Cooperation, and the World Bank

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• Tsunami waves move at jet speed (500 mph)
• Estimated arrival time in Sri Lanka 2 hours
• Wrap-around time to western coast 20 minutes
• No warning system exists yet in Indian Ocean
• Source http//staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/anima
  tion.gif

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Source University of Texas Library,
http//www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/islands_oceans_pole
s/sri_lanka_charts_76.jpg
This satellite image of the island of Sri Lanka
and the Indian Ocean around it was taken on
December 26, 2004. The camera, part of an
instrument called MISR, points forward at an
angle, so catches shadows and reflections that
cameras looking straight down do not see.
Source NASA, http//spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
misr_tsunami/index.shtml
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Tsunami Mitigation

• Depth of penetration depends on topography and
  offshore bathymetry
• Modeling of tsunami behavior along coast is
  minimal
• LIDAR cost for entire coastline 2 million
• Need for regulations on coastal development
  reflecting actual risk
• Elevation mitigates storm surge as well as
  tsunami hazards

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Source InfoPlease, http//www.infoplease.com/atla
s/country
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People of Sri Lanka

• Majority Sinhalese (75)
• Native language Sinhala
• Mostly Buddhist (67, some Christians)
• Minority Tamils (15-from southern India)
• Native language Tamil
• Mostly Hindu, some Christians
• Minority Muslims (8)
• Descended from Arab and Malay traders
• Minority Christians (7-8)

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Tsunami Recovery

• Housing projects a mix of government and NGO
  projects
• Infrastructure is old, poor, and in need of
  serious upgrades
• Governance issues corruption, political
  gridlock, excessive and slow bureaucracy
• Donor attention span is fading

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Problems Opportunities

• Massive damage
• Recovery from civil war
• Need for outside aid
• Reconstruction slower than people desire
• Government still learning how to manage disaster

• Ancient and diverse culture
• Marvelous attractions for tourism
• Widespread education, highly valued
• Lush, agriculturally productive land

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