A FORMER Worcester Evening News employee watched in disbelief as the Sri Lankan village where she lived for the past year was submerged after the tsunami.

But rather than coming home to Coddington, near Tenbury, Emma Boyle, who worked in the Evening News' library department four years ago, will be staying in the coastal village of Unawatuna until May, to help rebuild the homes, businesses and school that have been destroyed.

And she is appealing to kind-hearted Evening News readers to donate money to the cause.

Emma was asleep in her first floor flat just 300 yards from the beach when the huge wave struck on Boxing Day.

The 23-year-old and her boyfriend Bubbika Eanbasa, 25, were woken by screams and shouting from their friends next door and ran outside to see a mass of black water coming towards them.

"It sounded like a hurricane to start with as there was a huge whooshing sound but when we opened the door we watched the vast area of open land in front of our house disappear under water and vehicles being carried off," she said.

After escaping the flat, Emma, Bubbika and several other villagers ran up a hill behind their house that locals call "the mountain" and watched in disbelief as what has now become the biggest natural disaster in recent history unfolded.

The couple are now staying with friends elsewhere in the village until the area around their house becomes habitable again - although as their flat was on the first floor, it escaped any damage.

"The area in front of our house, which used to be covered in palm trees and was used for cricket matches, has now been turned into a graveyard," she said.

"And the beachfront restaurant where Bubbika works, along with everything else along the coastline, has been washed away."

"It's very difficult to recognise the place I have lived in for over a year."

Emma is now concentrating her efforts on helping villagers in Unawatuna - 40 of whom have lost their homes and businesses.

"We're getting food, water and clothing so the priority for the future is to help rebuild people's homes," she said.

"Immediate aid is coming - but the big fear is will the outside world soon forget?"

If anyone would like to donate money to Emma to help rebuild Unawatuna cheques can be made payable to "Unawatuna, Galle District Reconstruction Fund" and sent to the Worcester Evening News, Berrows House, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX.

and we will post them on.