Tsunami Survivors Look Ahead

Officials concerned about post-aid economy, beefing up warning systems
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 26, 2007 11:55 AM CST
Tsunami Survivors Look Ahead
A test of a tsunami warning system on Thailand's resort island of Phuket was successfully conducted Saturday, April 7, 2007, more than two years after the region was devastated by the disaster that killed over 8,000 people in the Southeast Asian country. A UN-led multi-donor effort has begun to install...   (Associated Press)

As candles are lit today in memory of the 230,000 victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Christian Science Monitor reports on the results of the $13.6 billion effort to help survivors. The aid has largely been used effectively, but now officials worry about the recovering economies after the rebuilding boom peaks and the aid dries up.

“A lot has been rebuilt,” said one local, “but what will happen when all the money has gone?” The  Indonesian government has warned of as many as 40,000 layoffs in Aceh province in 2009. Preparing for possible future disasters is another challenge; new tsunami alerts are being installed in the Indian Ocean, but disputes abound over whether survivors should be allowed to rebuild in risky areas, with proximity to the fishing that provides their livelihood. (More tsunami stories.)

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