The communities in Kalametiya typically represent a rural coastal community that has been badly impacted by the tsunami. The initial visit made to Kalametiya soon after the tsunami struck indicated loss of life and large scale destruction of houses and fishing boats and equipment. Severe trauma was also evident from grief and shock caused by the loss of life, shelter and means of livelihood, and difficulty in comprehending the event itself which many people witnessed first hand. Experiences of seeing children being snatched out of their parents’ arms by the water, and being washed away to the ocean were common. Fishermen described their horror when they saw the waves approaching them and how they ran literally for their lives.

Impact of tsunami in Kalametiya
Several families lost family members, and in some cases lost more than one family member. Many were young children. Many families especially those living closer to the sea lost all their possessions and their houses were completely destroyed or badly damaged. Kalametiya Village situated on the sea front next to the lagoon lost all of its 32 homes. Almost the entire fleet of fishing boats in the village has been either damaged or destroyed, along with the livelihoods of many of the families that depend on fishing as their primary source of income. Small tea shops on the beach used by the fishermen have been washed away, with only the foundation of the buildings remaining in the sand. The Kalametiya fish landing site and harbour which had borne the brunt of the waves suffered serious damage. Next to the fishing harbour, the beach strip dividing the Kalametiya lagoon from the ocean has temporarily disappeared and the lagoon has turned into another bay on the coastline with the sea entering the lagoon directly.