The South Asia Tsunami of 2004 killed an estimated 194,000 people and displaced approximately 1.5 million people throughout the region.  Over 51,000 people are still listed as missing.  Few disasters in human history have been so far-reaching and so devastating.

Through my work on a variety of Internet projects, I have been fortunate to correspond regularly with individuals from all around the world, including parts of South Asia.  At the time of the tsunami, I had been corresponding with several people in India and Sri Lanka and I thought of them as I watched the first news reports from the region.  Much to my relief, I was able to make contact via e-mail with all my friends and acquaintances in South Asia shortly after the tsunami. Over the course of the days and weeks that followed, each of these individuals generously shared their own candid opinions regarding the disaster and its aftermath.  Their collective insight contributed to my understanding of the tragedy itself as well as the underlying social and political issues throughout the region.

With the one-year anniversary of the tsunami approaching, I have again asked my friends from India and Sri Lanka to share their thoughts regarding the impact of the tsunami on the people of South Asia.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I will share their reminiscences and reflections in a series of articles on our weblog.
Further Reading:
2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (Wikipedia article)
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog