Name: The Indian ocean tsunami, twenty years on
Uploaded: 2024-12-25T21:04:10.524Z
Duration: 2 min 45 s
Description: December the 26th will mark twenty years of one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. The Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami left an estimated 228,000 people dead across more than a dozen countries.

December the 26th will mark twenty years of one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. The Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami left an estimated 228,000 people dead across more than a dozen countries.

Phi Phi Islands

The Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, will soon mark twenty years since it devastated multiple countries, taking an estimated 228,000 lives. In Banda Aceh, the morning sea appeared calm before massive waves up to 30 meters high rolled in, leaving complete destruction in their path. The earthquake struck just before 8:00 AM, causing a sudden sea retreat which perplexed locals. 

For survivor Rosita, the event left an indelible mark; she lost three children and described the tragedy as waves turned her village into ruins. The catastrophe split families; Rosita and others were separated in the chaos. Over the years, Rosita managed to rebuild her life, living in temporary shelters for more than three years before her home was reconstructed on its original site. 

Others, like Sufrisah, were left orphaned, losing their parents along with nearly all classmates to the disaster. While the tragic event took lives, homes, and innocence, it also taught life lessons, as reflected in a poem she wrote. Now living in the Netherlands, Sufrisah has started a new life but recognizes that the tsunami irreversibly changed her life and outlook. Rosita voices a longing for closure, expressing her wish to have been able to bury her children. For many survivors, the memory of the tragedy lingers, driving home the lesson that disaster can strike without warning.



The Indian ocean tsunami, twenty years on

The sea in Banda Aceh looked perfectly calm on the morning of December 26, 2004, until one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck at one minute to eight. My father, who was a fisherman, came home and I still remember how he told my mom, all the fish are on the beach because the sea has retreated. We didn't understand why. Twenty minutes later, waves up to 30 meters came rolling in, swallowing everything in their path. Not a single house was left standing in Rosita's village. After the first wave, we saw that our house was destroyed. Water came into our village like a dragon. During the second wave, we could not hold each other's hands anymore. We were separated. Twenty years ago, we joined Rosita when she first returned to our village. She lost her three children that day, the youngest eight years old. Two decades later, we've returned. After I went down three times, there was suddenly a small boat and I was rescued. I saw so many dead bodies floating around me. I was looking for my children but didn't see them. When I stood up in the back of a truck, I saw waves 10 to 12 meters high rolling over buildings, swallowing the place where I used to pray, coconut trees and people. Sufrisah was nine years old when the tsunami killed her parents. Of the 28 children in her class, only five survived. She wrote a poem. Everyone is crying. There is a child who lost his mother. There is a child who lost his mother and his father. My brother found my mother's body after 51 days, not far from where we used to live. Thank God we could still recognize her. Rosita lived in tents and barracks for more than three years until our house was rebuilt, at the exact same location where the sea had washed it away. Survivors say every second of that morning is etched in their memories. Twenty years on and most have managed to rebuild their broken lives and land, a testament to human resilience. But some say something died in them that day. Sufrisah now lives in the Netherlands, where she's built a new life far away from her dark memories. The tsunami has given me a new life, but it has also taken a part of me. My parents suddenly gone, my house, my whole youth, my friends, everything. There is something I learned from the tsunami. People should stop doing bad things, because we have learned that disaster can strike anytime. Twenty years on, Rosita wishes she had been able to bury her children so she could pray at their graves.

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