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Ed Yeates ReportingTwo men from Lehi, who are in Tsunami-torn Sri Lanka volunteering as relief workers, say pictures cannot visualize what they've now seen with their own eyes. Brian Stuy and Adam Steed have been helping victims there in a most unusual way.
As compelling as pictures are - the two fathers from Lehi say you have to stand in the devastation to really experience the imagery.
Brian Stuy, Tsunami Volunteer: "Take the worst vacant lot that you've seen, with its tires and just trash, and chunks of cement, then multiply that as far as the eye can see - that's pretty much what we're seeing here."
Brian Stuy and Adam Steed talked to us by phone. They've been visiting relief camps along the west coast of Sri Lanka.
The two fathers left their families here to volunteer there, simply because they felt compelled to help. Now at stores in Colombo, they buy writing materials for children so teachers can start teaching them again. They're also handing out pieces of candy and toys, hopefully to give the kids some psychological relief.
Brian Stuy: "Just looking into their eyes and seeing the tremendous joy of receiving a simple box of crayons and a notepad of paper and a few gumdrops was just immensely overwhelming."
The Lehi duo says kids still don't comprehend what's happened, but parents do. Their homes and their possessions have all been wiped out.
Adam Steed: “You start looking at both sides of the road and everything is lost.”
Brian Stuy: “You really see a large amount of sadness and almost a feeling of hopelessness.”
But still, when help arrives…
Adam Steed: “As I was handing out items, people that could speak English kept saying repeatedly, ‘Thank you, you and your country. Thank you, you and your country.’”
This week, Brian and Adam may get involved in a massive cleanup effort along the coastline. Though the Lehi fathers simply showed up on the doorstep of Sri Lanka, they're working under the supervision of one the country's major relief organizations.
