The Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th December 2004 was a disaster of unprecedented magnitude. Across the 12 affected countries in Asia and Africa, more than 230,000 people were reported dead or missing, over 2.1 million were displaced and left homeless, and millions of dollars of infrastructure was destroyed. The scale of the devastation presented enormous challenges for disaster response in the context of the evolving concept of disaster management.
This ‘People’s Report’ draws on four country-level “People’s Reports” from India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. These “People’s Reports” were based on the work of alliances of 59 organisations and their discussions with 9,207 tsunami-affected people in the above four countries between June-September 2007. The consultations aimed to inform those consulted about relevant laws on housing and land rights, policies and/or government orders; to hear about their experiences and views regarding post-tsunami housing reconstruction and related land rights issues; to document these in order to influence policy makers; as well as to work with people in getting their concerns addressed.