The day the tsunami hit, Sri Lanka native Avinash Mahtani (sophomore-psychology) was in the Middle East with his family, planning to travel home for vacation.

"We are very lucky people," he said. "We canceled our plans [to travel home] a few days before because we wanted to spend more time in the Middle East with family.

Devastating tsunamis caused by an earthquake on the ocean floor hit the coast of a number of South Asian countries on Dec. 26, killing more than 150,000 people.

When Mahtani first heard about the crisis, he said he knew he needed to help the survivors.

"I called the airport right away," he said. "I desperately wanted to buy a ticket and fly to my hometown to help out."

He said he was relieved that none of his family members or friends were injured.

Mahtani, originally from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, said he went to his hometown two days after the crisis and spent 10 days volunteering for the Red Cross and loading trucks full of supplies.

"Seven blocks south of my home was all flooded," he said. "And a half-hour south of my house was severely damaged."

Mahtani said government corruption overseas is more serious than many Americans may be aware of, and added that he was concerned disaster relief funds would not be spent on aid.

The truck he was loading with emergency supplies was looted by a local police officer who was selling the supplies for money, he said.

Mahtani said he also witnessed injured women in the streets being sexually assaulted. Officials have also been concerned about orphaned children being kidnapped and sold as slaves and prostitutes.

"It's such a sad sight that even during a time of crisis this is happening," he said.

Thulitha Wickrama (graduate-human development and family studies) visited Sri Lanka for his sister's wedding on Dec. 24, two days before the disaster.

"A lot of my family and friends were saved because they came to the wedding," Wickrama said.

Wickrama, who lived in Sri Lanka until he was 11, said some of his friends are still missing.

"A lot of my old schoolmates are probably dead," he said, adding that most of his friends continue to attend funerals for their loved ones.

"In Sri Lanka, everyone was either directly or indirectly affected," he said. "You'll have friends or neighbors who have been washed away. Even some of our school teachers."

Wickrama said he would like to start community service projects to help tsunami survivors.

During his stay in Sri Lanka, Mahtani traveled a half-hour south from his home to help offer supplies to survivors in the area.

"The ground was completely flat; there were boats in the streets, bodies all over the place and railroad tracks everywhere," he said. "It was even more sad because there were people suffering, but there wasn't enough food, money, or supplies to help them."

Mahtani said he is grateful he could help others who were not as lucky as he was.

"I could have been a victim, so I'm very lucky to be here today," he said. "And I'm happy I could do at least a small part to help out with this devastating crisis."

-Collegian Staff writers Josh Kowalkowski and Jacqueline Haber contributed to this report