Tsunami: A personal perspective on the race to respond
Meet John Adlam. He's the deputy team leader of DFID's Conflict and
Humanitarian Department Operations Team (CHAD OT) which provides DFID's emergency response capability.
John is a chartered civil engineer and a chartered water and environmental manager. He joined the Operations Team in 1997, having managed humanitarian projects for the UN and the UK in a range of emergency situations involving numerous countries.
So, early on the morning of the 26th December 2004, he got a call. Six months later, John explains the sequence of events which led to his being on the scene less than 24 hours after the tsunami struck.
"I was woken at 8.00am on Boxing by another CHAD OT manager. The Team, which provides 24/7 emergency cover for DFID through the OT duty officer, had been attentive to the disaster from 2.40am.
"I left, with an OT colleague on Boxing Day, for Sri Lanka and arrived in Colombo on the evening of the 27th January. We met our DFID colleagues at the British High Commission and then immediately transferred to the UN offices to discuss disaster impact and needs assessment.
"As a result of that meeting we volunteered to travel to Ampara, reportedly the worst hit area on the East coast, to take on the job of assessment for the UN and wider humanitarian community in support of the Sri Lankan government.
"We departed at 5am the following morning, travelling overland. We
arrived early evening to have initial meetings and to build an assessment team
with UN and 
USAID
assistance. The national staff of these organisations were superb and together
we completed the first rapid, but comprehensive, impact and needs assessment
within the first few days following the disaster.
"We subsequently worked with, and guided, a UK military team from its UK
Permanent Joint Headquarters, and the crews from
HMS
Chatham and
RFA Diligence who had arrived to provide relief
assistance.
"We were heavily involved with the organisation of transitional shelter, working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the National authorities in developing DFID's response strategy.
"The latter was the basis for CHAD OT's humanitarian assistance recommendations to CHAD management.. This prioritised shelter, protection, psycho-social support, education and livelihoods re-generation.
What were your impressions of what you saw?
"The impact the tsunami was brutal and the devastation total in the areas we saw.
"One could only marvel at the fortitude and resilience of survivors and the significant efforts, the caring and sharing of neighbours and the outpouring of support from across the country from Sri Lankans and tourists alike.
"And yet there were areas, certainly in those very early days, where there were few signs of assistance and a population in unbelieving shock and grief.
Six months on, what's happening now? And what's the main challenge facing the region?
"At the moment, our Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Department (CHAD) continues to oversee and track DFID-funded programmes, supported by DFID's Asia Team, FCO colleagues, and our own OT staff member based in Colombo.
"We are in the middle of monitoring missions right now to check on progress right across the region where significant DFID contributions to national and international relief efforts have been made.
"However, there's still much to do including permanently rehousing the displaced and supporting people with water, wastewater, health care and education services. It's very important that DFID's assistance re-equips those affected with the resources to rebuild lives and livelihoods - and in such a way that reduces vulnerability to future shocks."
