Dhuvaafaru, Maldives: an island of our own (2/7)

Part 2. Kandholhudhoo: the tsunami tragedy

At 9.23 on the morning of 26 December 2004, the tsunami swept across Maldives flooding all but nine islands of the archipelago. When the floodwaters receded and emergency operations got underway, it was confirmed that 82 people died, 26 went missing, 1,313 were injured, and over 15,000 lost their homes. One of the most affected islands was Kandholhudhoo, in Raa Atoll; the deadly waves had washed the entire island, extensively damaging houses and buildings, and contaminating groundwater. The more than 3,600 inhabitants of Kandholhudhoo were left homeless and had to evacuate.

This is the second of a series of 7 videos retracing the relocation of an entire community of nearly 4000 people, that lost their island home after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

The Red Cross Red Crescent helped them by building a new community on the deserted island of Dhuvaafaru.

Discover more about this project and the achievements of the Red Cross Red Crescents tsunami operation: http://www.ifrc.org/dhuvaafaru

Year: 2008
Duration: 3 minutes 29 seconds