|
They lost almost everything. For two international students from Sri
Lanka, the aftermath was emotionally draining. It is taking time for
these roommates to come to terms with the devastating fire in their
apartment complex.
Hasitha Samarajeewasa, a third year
mechanical engineering student, said he was unable to go to class
for a week after the fire. He is simply angry about the incident and
the aftermath, and is trying to find answers to questions: Why me?
Why us? Why at this time? How could it happen? These questions flash
through his mind as he tries to get his life back on track.
According to Hasitha, the trauma began
around 1:30 a.m., the first week of the Fall semester, when he and one of his roommates,
Tyrone Fernando, a computer science graduate student, detected a
“weird smell.” The thought of fire probably went through his mind,
he said, but he was not absolutely sure until they exited the
building and saw smoke billowing from the bottom unit of their Creek
Wood apartments on West Prairie.
Their humanitarian instincts immediately
overrode their personal concerns. They called 911 and began to wake
up their neighbors instead of trying to salvage their belongings.
They were frustrated that their neighbors did not heed their call
immediately, waiting until the police arrived to take the problem
seriously.
From the parking lot, they saw the
reality of how the fire gutted the entire building and realized that
they had lost everything they owned, including computers, clothing,
bedding, personal items and food.
Hasitha was happy his ’97 Honda Prelude
that he bought eight months earlier was parked safely in front of
the apartment complex. Also, his Sri Lankan passport and other
immigration documents were saved, along with his Sony digital
camera. The camera did not capture the physical image of the fire,
but the camera will literally imprint on his mind the mental image
of what he thought would never happen to him.
Hasitha expressed
gratitude to the International Welcome Center for helping them
replace personal belongings and to Bruce Hall for food. They are
also thankful to the Denton Chapter of the American Red Cross which
gave them a gift of nearly $1000 to help with finding a place to
live.
|
