Aranayake tragedy: Eranga Vikumsiri and other unsung heroes

Landslide in Aranayaka – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

In the aftermath of any natural calamity comes the essential practice of finding out what went wrong and whether or not the tragedy could have been avoided. Thereafter it is all about making sure that there won’t be a next time.  

It cannot be stressed enough that there should be systems that can anticipate such calamities and also mechanisms to make sure that the threat to lives and property is minimised. For example, every single person who was at risk in Aranayake, Bulathkohupitiya and other areas that were in imminent danger of inundation should have been evacuated before landslides and flooding struck. One hopes that the relevant authorities will do the needful as outlined above.  

For now, let us focus on those who rose to the occasion on behalf of their fellow citizens, sometimes even putting their lives in danger. They should be recognised and applauded because they demonstrated a sense of civic responsibility that is at the heart of our cultural ethos, a quality we have seen on numerous occasions of natural disaster, especially during the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. They stepped in without a thought about self-preservation and certainly without any notion whatsoever of receiving subsequent recognition or reward – all the more reason that their efforts should not be forgotten or taken for granted. 

Let me begin by saluting the late Eranga Vikumsiri, Development Officer of Eligipitiya! We do not know if his message to a superior officer, A.M. Faizal, the Aranayake Divisional Secretary, will ever be included in a compilation of famous last words or if compilers of such texts would even have heard about him, but they warrant a mention.

“Sir, I can see the landslide in the Eligipitiya colony. The villagers informed me. I am not witnessing this serious situation. My brother is helping me evacuate the villagers. Please hurry and send ambulances.”

His efforts as well as those of his brother helped save 80 people. He perished along with his brother. Eranga’s body was never found.  

Was he answering a call of duty or was he going beyond it? The truth is that whatever we call it, it was an act of absolute selflessness and heroism. In fighting unforgiving elements to save the lives of his fellow citizens, Eranga Vikumsiri set a standard not just for state officials but for the general citizenry. He deserves unreserved praise.  

Eranga Vikumsiri was not the only state official involved in relief work. I am sure that in addition to the relevant line ministries and institutions there would have been innumerable men and women in the public sector who directly or indirectly assisted relief efforts. They all deserve praise. 

There are of course many others who braved the rains and disregarded the risks to help out those in distress. Thousands upon thousands helped in numerous ways. People called for relief, collected and delivered relief items, provided shelter, cleared debris, asked relevant questions about early warning systems, mechanisms to mitigate disaster and procedures to ensure that there was minimal injury to people and damage to property. 

It was reported that a man from Turkey, a country that has had its own share of natural disasters, had been amazed by the response to the tragedy from the general public.  He had seen lots of people buying water and dry rations in supermarkets, all to be sent to people who had been displaced.  It was unthinkable in Turkey, he observed.  So there are lots of unsung heroes. They all deserve praise.  

We cannot and should not devalue the good work of these individuals and institutions and we must of course emphasise the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by that exceptional citizen and official - Eranga Vikumsiri.  

However, we must also recognise that there are others who spared no thought for themselves.  I am speaking here of the security forces involved in search and rescue operations and the delivery of relief.  They made a monumental difference, working tirelessly around the clock with absolutely no fanfare - not even surrendering to the harmless indulgence of a selfie.  

It was reported that we almost lost two Army units involved in search and rescue operations in the Aranayake area. There is no telling how the ground they were forced to walk on would behave.  Every step could have been the last one they took on this earth.  And yet, they stuck to their task, braving the terrible weather and disregarding the immense threat to their lives.

Clearly, they were disciplined. Clearly, they were as empowered by the regimen to follow orders as they were inspired by the best ethics relating to civic behaviour.  

Indeed, we have seen the security forces raise their hands whenever the nation is facing a crisis of this kind. Rarely, if at all, are these efforts acknowledged, leave alone praised. Heroism is not only something that happens in a battlefield, but the off-field work of these men and women is seldom noticed.  

It is as though the security forces are the A-Z of all the back-up plans of all State entities. They are like the unofficial national insurer - ‘Saves them all, big or small’. Isn’t that what they’ve done and what they do? The difference is that they don’t advertise. They don’t say what they can do and they don’t say ‘we did it’ after doing it.  

This does not mean that we, as beneficiaries, should take them for granted or remain silent.  The Government has a responsibility to correct all the flaws in the State apparatus that necessitated the deployment of security forces. It cannot leave it to this fallback option and the general altruism of the people to rise to the occasion during a national calamity.  Whether or not all this is treated as a wake-up call by the Government, however, the least we can do as citizens who saw what the security forces did and who might very well need their assistance when tragedy hits next, is to state and demonstrate our gratitude.  

So here’s to every single individual who demonstrated a sense of concern to their fellow human beings in distress and especially our security forces. We are grateful and proud, and we just don’t have the words to express these sentiments in ways that reflect what we feel in our hearts.