Indian Ocean Tsunami - 5 years on

The power of the tsunami washed boats in miles from the sea

A passenger train toppled by giant waves, boats washed in miles from sea and whole towns wiped off the map are just some of the images recalled by ShelterBox Response Team member and photographer Mark Pearson who helped deliver emergency shelter to thousands of people following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

But it is the picture of the first ShelterBoxes containing disaster relief tents arriving in Sri Lanka by raft that is the resounding image for Mark when he reflects on the fifth anniversary of one of the worst disasters ever witnessed.

On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggering a series of deadly tsunamis. The earthquake had a magnitude between 9.1 and 9.3 on the Richter Scale - the second largest seismic activity ever recorded. Almost 230,000 people in 11 countries were killed in the tsunami and millions were left homeless.

ShelterBoxes arriving by raft

Just days after the tsunami hit Mark was in Batticaloa, east Sri Lanka, co-ordinating the distribution of aid for ShelterBox. Several weeks later he was sent to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, to help distribute emergency shelter to thousands more people.

Mark, 37, who was born in Ayrshire and grew up in Stanraer, Dumfries & Galloway, said: ‘It was incredible to see how much destruction there was. It was monumental. In Banda Aceh there were fishing boats five miles from the sea and towns and cities that had been wiped off the map.

‘Nothing could have been more powerful than the tsunami. This was the biggest disaster anyone of us will see in our lifetimes.

‘But the picture that stands out for me personally is of the first ShelterBoxes arriving in Agram Bay, Sri Lanka, where the bridge was destroyed by the tsunami. We had help from the Sri Lankan Navy and the Canadian Army Logistics Corps who built a raft so we could transport the ShelterBoxes. It was good to know we were starting to deliver help to thousands of people who had been displaced by the devastation.'

A lone figure walks amidst the destruction

In the months following the disaster, ShelterBox delivered tents and emergency supplies to thousands of people who had lost their homes in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and the Maldives.

Tom Henderson, ShelterBox's Founder and CEO, said: ‘On 26 December 2004, news came in of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami and ShelterBox faced its most significant challenge, one that would change our course forever. Donations and volunteers poured in and we were able to ramp up our operations on a scale unimaginable just six months earlier.

‘ShelterBoxes were sent to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives and we were able to provide emergency shelter to thousands of people. But the human suffering from that day endures and five years on from the tsunami we remember the friends, families and loved ones who lost their lives in this tragedy.

‘Everyone involved with ShelterBox remains deeply grateful for all the support received from donors and volunteers around the world. We have continued to build on our experience responding to the tsunami, helping as many people as we can and as quickly as we can, the moment disaster strikes.'

All photographs by Mark Pearson