The Beach Inn Hotel in Madehi, right on the edge of the shoreline, was damaged but survived the onslaught of the Tsunami waves. The owner, Mr Gunawardena said 'The water went straight though the restaurant which looks directly onto the seas, and took everything from the ground floor but the first storey survived and we have been able to rebuild, re-open and we're ready for the tourist season which begins when the rains begin to ease in December'. The initial prohibition on rebuilding homes within 100 meters of the sea shore means little rebuilding, other than hotels, has happened. Now the Government has eased that restriction after massive public pressure and the Matara Trust will be doing a new survey to identify homes and land 35 meters above the shoreline. 'We are confidant that now the rates of building and repairing homes and resettling families can be really stepped up' said Shirantha Herath. Shirantha comes from a Colombo based Cable TV company and has been seconded to the Matara Trust full time for 6 months. 'Only when you realise that in Sri Lanka we have to build 6 times our normal housing build in one year can you get an idea of the problem we face'.
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