Sri Lanka & the Tsunami of 2004

38,000 people killed; many libraries destroyed

Sri Lanka, Tsunami 0f December 26, 2004

In June 2021 this substack reported on the effect of the December 26, 2004 tsunami on Banda Aceh Indonesia.

Sri Lanka was also severely impacted.

The tsunami of December 26, 2004 created a tsunami tidal wave that affected 60% of the coastal area of Sri Lanka with a death toll exceeding 38,000. It also destroyed or damaged 80,000 houses, 182 schools, four universities, three advanced technical training institutes and ten vocational training institutes.

Upali Amarasiri, Director General, National Library and Documentation Services Board and National Library of Sri Lanka evaluated the destruction and rebuilding in 2005.¹ The devastation to libraries included:

• 1.2 million volumes of books and other reading material in school libraries were lost.

• 28 public libraries were completely destroyed, 62 damaged

• National Aquatic Research Agency, Sri Lanka Harbour Authority, Sri Lanka Navy and National Maritime Museum libraries were destroyed

• 40 community libraries (youth clubs, readers circles, village development societies

• Temple libraries that held palm leaf manuscripts and other rare materials including some on the indigenous medicine system referred to as Ayurvedha.

In the National Maritime Museum in Galle, Sri Lanka  situated within Galle Fort the Maritime Archaeology Unit was completely destroyed, all exhibitions were flood damaged, and the majority of maritime archeological artifacts were lost.²

The American Library Association³ reported on the International Federation of Library Association issued a call for assistance.⁴

The Sri Lanka Library Association launched a project to rebuild four libraries as model libraries.⁵

1. Amarasiri, Upali. “Rising from the Wreckage: Development of Tsunami-Affected Libraries in Sri Lanka.” IFLA Journal 31, no. 4 (2005): 307–14. See also the report: Amarasiri, Upali. (2005). Tsunami Affected Libraries in Sri Lanka: Rebuilding Process and Challenges. Open seminar on the documentary heritage damaged by the Indian Ocean Tsunami 6th December 2005, National Diet Library, Tokyo, Japan.

2. ICOMOS, Sri Lanka (International Council on Monuments and Sites).Prof. S. Manawadu and The ACOMAS Unit of the Department of Architecture University of Moratuwa March (2005). Preliminary Survey of Tsunami-affected Monuments and Sites in the Maritime Region of Sri Lanka.

3. Eberhart, George M. 2005. “South Asian Libraries Hit Hard by Tsunami.” American Libraries 36 (2): 10–12. 

4. Sri Lankan Libraries Need Urgent Assistance (2004). IFLAnet.

5. Sri Lanka Library Association. Sri Lanka Library Association launched a project to rebuild four libraries as model libraries.