2004 Tsunami Impact
The tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia in December 2004 was a massive disaster in Sri Lanka. The World Bank estimates that 35,000 people died and 130,000 homes were destroyed in a country of 20 million people. The areas most effected by the wave and floods were in the northeast of the country, areas either controlled by the LTTE or areas in which the LTTE and the government actively competed for control. While an initial agreement between the LTTE and the government facilitated the distribution of humanitarian assistance, the situation quickly devolved as local factions sought to build their power over areas impacted by the storm. Aid distribution in the northeast of the island lagged far behind relief efforts in more secure areas, and was nearly impossible when hostilities escalated in the region.