A Slight Tsunami Scare...

Around 11 p.m. Sunday, July 24, the news hit Sri Lanka: an earthquake near the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

When Thailand started evacuation procedures, the people of Weligama became restless. Some of them immediately moved to higher ground. But others decided to remain and wait. I got a call from a friend immediately after 11 to turn on the TV and watch the news. Then, I found out about the happenings in Thailand.

I remained in front of the TV. Luckily, the earthquakes didn't trigger a tsunami, as many expected. After midnight, an announcement went through that the coast was clear. No tsunami. Some of the people who evacuated returned shortly after the news got to them. However, most of them were awake the whole night, listening to the radio for more warnings.

There wasn't as much panic in Weligama as when the March 30th tsunami alert came -- a true sign that the Weligama citizens are slowly recovering.

-- Sascha Gerbracht

By washingtonpost.com |  July 29, 2005; 4:06 AM ET  | Category:  Sascha Gerbracht
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