It’s amazing how fast time passes. The December 2004 tsunami in Asia now seems like it happened a hundred years ago. But the fact is, some places are still struggling to rebuild. I had little notion the Maldives were struggling so badly, but as this article reports, the December tsunami there caused extensive damage from which the island nation is finding it difficult to recover.
The tsunami claimed 82 lives in the Maldives, and 26 other bodies have never been found. The Maldivian infrastructure was ravaged, with extensive damage caused to about 4,000 buildings. The World Bank estimates that the Maldives will need $304 million to rebuild. Much of that was thought to come in the way of tourism dollars, as tourism is by far the nation’s largest industry, accounting for more than a fifth of the national income. But tourism income is still down, causing people who depend on the industry to seek other jobs. It’s a rough world made rougher for some folks.