Michelle Weerasuriya

But for Fletcher resident Michelle Weerasuriya, the island nation in the Indian Ocean is home.For her, watching televised images of the destruction caused by Sunday's tsunami is nearly unbearable.

"My heart just gets numb," said Weerasuriya, 34, who grew up in Sri Lanka and moved to the United States 14 years ago."It's like seeing something out of a horror movie."

Her parents and many close relatives still live in Sri Lanka, but they reside in the mountains and were not harmed.

"But a lot of my childhood friends live on the coastline, and I can't get any information on them," she said."I've been trying to call.I'm just hoping they're all safe."

As of Wednesday, the death toll in the island nation of nearly 20 million people had climbed to 22,000 and was expected to escalate, according to the Associated Press.

Weerasuriya, who was Miss Sri Lanka in 1988, moved to Asheville two years ago and works in premier banking for Bank of America.A mother of two, she's been deeply touched by her homeland's plight, especially that of its children.

Many of the victims were children.

Adults, she says, can bounce back from tragedy much easier than children.With that in mind, Weerasuriya has established a relief fund through Bank of America.

"These children are going to have their entire lives ahead of them," she said."I know their lives are never going to be what we would call normal, but any way we can help restore them to a normal life, that's what I'm trying to do."

Weerasuriya is adamant that 100 percent of donations will go to the children for shelter and care, because the fund has no overhead.She is working to contact Sri Lanka's minister of family affairs to help in directing the money where it is needed most.

"All I'm trying to do is reach out the people at this point," she said.Contact Boyle at 232-5847 or JBoyle@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.

MILLS RIVER -- Michelle Weerasuriya, an Asheville banking executive and former Miss Sri Lanka, felt helpless after Sunday's tsunamis smashed into her home island.

Weerasuriya, 34, moved to the United States 15 years ago and lives in a subdivision off Butler Bridge Road, but her parents and many close relatives still live in the mountains of Sri Lanka

They survived the enormous waves that killed more than one tenth of the population, Weerasuriya said Thursday.She does not know though what happened to friends who live near the coast.

"(My parents') lives were spared, and I thank God for that," said Weerasuriya, a Bank of America local vice president of premiere banking.
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A single mother of an 8- and a 13-year-old, Weerasuriya said she knows how hard caring for children can be.

Though she was raised Roman Catholic, Weerasuriya said she hopes to work through a Buddhist priest in Sri Lanka whom her parents trust "wholeheartedly."She is also trying to reach the country's minister of family affairs to find out where aid is needed most.

Because she is administering the relief fund through the bank Weerasuriya said there will be no overhead and that 100 percent of funds will go to aid.

Started Wednesday, the fund has garnered much publicity in local newspapers and television and has been picked up by Cox Radio affiliates around the country.

Weerasuriya said she is glad for the publicity and hopes it will localize the south Asia disaster story for Western North Carolina residents.

"People see the pictures every morning flashed on the television screen.Now they can make a connection, and hopefully they will make a donation to this fund," she said.

Weerasuriya grew up near the capital Colombo, became Miss Sri Lanka in 1988 and represented her country in the Miss Universe pageant.She has lived in Western North Carolina for two years.

Weerasuriya said the killer waves took an especially heavy toll because they happened on a full-moon day, a religious holiday for Buddhists, who traditionally go to the beach.

"Everybody goes to the coast, because there is no Disney World or anything like that," she said.

The waves actually missed portions of the coast and appeared to spare Colombo, she said.