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In the wake of disaster

My mission: Extend aid to tsunami victims amid mine fields, poisonous reptiles and wild elephants at Cobra Junction, Sri Lanka

By Christina Athens ('05)

Last December, I knew very little about the small island of Sri Lanka located south of India in the Indian Ocean. In January 2005, however, I spent over 72 hours transiting through intriguing airports and cramped on packed planes to arrive in this small country. I traveled back and forth across the island on twisty, unpaved roads in an old bus that miraculously did not fall apart as it hit each pothole. I cared for and lived with the Sri Lankan people in a refugee camp surrounded by mine fields, elephants and snakes. The experience forever changed my life.

JMU alumni Christina Athens aids tsunami victims

JMU alumna Christina Athens aids tsunami victims

On Dec. 26, 2004, an earthquake originating just off the coast of Sumatra unleashed a tsunami that crashed into Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and other neighboring countries. The earthquake with a magnitude 9 generated a 6-mile wide wave that grew to a height of approximately 30 feet in shallow waters. The wave traveled across the Indian Ocean at a speed of roughly 500 mph, reaching Sri Lanka in two hours, India in three, even making it to the Horn of Africa in six. The tsunami death toll has been reported at over 280,000.

Team tsunami

The small island of Sri Lanka was the second hardest hit area. The tsunami displaced 500,000 Sri Lankans and killed 31,000. I went to the island with the Mission to the World disaster relief team, which I have been a part of the past five years, first as an emergency medical technician and now as a physician assistant. Our team of 15 individuals from around the United States receives special training to provide medical care in Third World countries and disaster situations. We made our way independently to Amsterdam where we congregated to fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. Once in Colombo, we made the 12-hour trip to the island's east coast. I had served as an EMT at ground zero in New York on Sept. 11 -- the scene of damage and suffering from the tsunami reminded me of that eventful day in 2001.

The challenges - climate, rebels and wildlife

Our team worked and lived in a refugee camp made up mostly of Tamil fishermen and their families located in an area known as Usan Etham, meaning "Cobra Junction." During the past 20 years of the country's civil war, the area had been the scene of many conflicts between the Sinhalese government and the Tamil Tiger rebel group. The camp was surrounded by unmarked mine fields. We walked only on paths that had been trodden down and did not venture off any roads.

Children ran for their lives from the huge wave 30 feet above them, waiting to be washed out to sea. The images of disaster will live with the survivors forever

Encounters with Sri Lankan wildlife were frequent -- scorpions in our tents, wild elephants stampeding through the camp and an occasional snake slithering beneath our feet. Sri Lanka has one of the highest densities of snake species in the world -- over 90 -- including cobras and vipers. In addition to numerous slithering reptiles, we encountered poisonous spiders, scorpions and strange, deadly centipedes, much bigger than any I had ever seen back in the states. We poured powdered bleach around our latrine to keep the scorpions away. Barking dogs, downpours and the nightly serenade of gunfire to keep elephants at bay punctuated our sleep. We were periodically awakened by frogs jumping onto us or little sea crabs walking into our tents.

Giving medical aid

In the brutal heat and heavy rain brought on by the monsoon, our daily medical clinic was held in five tents loaned to us by the military. We treated over 100 patients a day for upper respiratory infections and pneumonia caused by being submerged in seawater, diarrheal disease and infected wounds. Community health was a significant problem. There were only seven latrines for the entire camp of over 2,000 people. Many refugees dug "holding wells," which were 3-foot deep square pits filled with water. We saw children using the wells as bathrooms and then watched in horror as people used the same water for dishwashing and toothbrushing.

There were only seven latrines for the entire camp of over 2,000 people.

One of my most memorable moments was recorded in my journal: "Last night we had a patient come in who had torn his leg wide open while running from the tsunami; it was badly infected. He was carried into one of the old dilapidated military tents that we have been using to see patients and laid on our makeshift cot. It was pitch black outside; our only light was our headlamps as we began to operate. A few minutes later, the skies opened; and it began to pour. It did not take long for the water to begin streaming into the tent. Here we were, kneeling around the cot, with water well over our knees. The canvas tent, weighed down with the heavy rain, sagged, forcing us to bend in closer to the injured man. The light from our headlamps produced an eerie glow that reflected off our instruments and began to attract the many bugs and flying insects that populate Sri Lanka. We squinted to see the injury through the bugs that swarmed around our heads and periodically dropped into our attempted "sterile" area. I didn't believe anything could make this situation more unusual until, from somewhere out in the rainy darkness, a small frog jumped onto the cot, landing directly on the man's leg. As we all backed up in surprise, we realized there were many of these small frogs all around us, happily jumping around in the small lake on the floor of the tent."

Counseling the refugees

Our team also provided counseling for the refugees. The people were in a state of psychotic distress, overcome by their losses and fear of the future. Their stories were unbelievable. The tsunami was something unimaginable to these simple fishermen and their families. They could not comprehend that the sea, their livelihood and source of existence, could swallow up everything that they knew and loved. Houses were ripped from their foundations. Debris was dumped on the land. Families were torn apart. Mothers watched as children drowned before their eyes. Fathers, out in their fishing boats, were never heard from again. Children ran for their lives from the huge wave 30 feet above them, waiting to be washed out to sea. The images of disaster will live with the survivors forever -- bodies may be able to heal, but minds will never be the same.

Disasters like this one will continue to present significant challenges in our world. I have learned that the most difficult part of any relief effort is helping to heal the scars of trauma -- a process that takes personal involvement, self-sacrifice and, above all, time. My time in Sri Lanka reminded me to be more thankful for my daily blessings, remain diligent in my prayers for the Sri Lankan people and continue to serve others both at home and around the world.

About the author

Christina Athens graduated from James Madison University's physician assistant program in May 2005. She was the only PA student ?JMU PA student or any student? in South Asia providing medical relief following the tsunami. Athens served as an EMT while living in New York and responded at ground zero on Sept. 11. She has traveled extensively with Mission to the World providing medical relief in Third World countries.