Sri Lanka: the report

Less than 24 hours after the tsunami hit the coasts of Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, a Civil Protection Department team was operational in Sri Lanka to provide assistance and relief to Italian tourists struck by the disaster, while other emergency units were reaching the Maldives and Phuket in Thailand.

The dramatic images shot by the tourists, broadcasted in those days by all the televisions of the world, created a spontaneous and generous demonstration of solidarity among the Italian citizens. Thus, mobile phone operators and other promoters of initiatives for the victims of the tsunami decided to entrust the Civil Protection to collect the funds, sice it was already working on the field.
The donations received reached about 50 million euros over time: thanks to these resources, the Civil Protection Department completed the projects "reported" in this volume, working directly and in collaboration with numerous NGOs and other implementers.
Two and a half years after the tragedy, all the planned projects have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries and local authorities.