A ROYAL Naval officer from Tavistock is on board HMS Chatham, which has been directed to the disaster area in southern Asia. Lt Cmdr Pete Sellers is on the Devonport-based frigate, which arrived off Colombo on January 3. Having used her helicopters and boats to survey the damage along the coast of Sri Lanka, the vessel is now off the town of Batticaloa, and was joined last Thursday by RFA Diligence. After surveying the town and marking the channel from the lagoon back to the open sea, two working parties were landed by helicopter and boat. The first party repaired some of the boats so the fishermen could begin to return to their livelihood. Some of the party also helped at a local convent and orphanage with general repairs to allow the children to play safely outside. The second party was involved in house clearance. The local population has been deeply traumatised and were unable to help themselves. The team found that once they started clearing rubble and attempting to reconnect power, the residents started working alongside the sailors. A pump has been landed from RFA Diligence and teams have started clearing the debris from wells, pumping them out and ensuring the water is drinkable so that the population may start to move back in to the area. The ships have also offered to help construct a tented village for up to 250 families, the tents having been sent to the area by the Rotary ShelterBox Trust. The boxes provide emergency accommodation, sleeping bags and cooking utensils for ten. The CO of HMS Chatham, Capt Steve Chick, said the crew had found it ?incredibly rewarding work? and felt very lucky to have been able to help the people start to rebuild their lives.