BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — 20 years later devastating tsunami Tria Asnani, whose village was destroyed, still cries as she remembers the time she lost her mother while trying to escape from a huge wave.
Asnani, now a school teacher, was only 17 years old at the time. Her father, a fisherman, never returned from the sea. I don’t know how she survived. “I can’t swim. The only thing I could rely on was dhikr (Islamic prayer).”
On December 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people. over a dozen countriesreaching as far as East Africa.
Tears filled the eyes of Tolia Asnani, a 38-year-old high school teacher and tsunami survivor. (AP Photo/Ahmad Ibrahim)
However, Indonesia’s Aceh province was closest to the epicenter, with 18 of its 23 districts and cities located on Sumatra’s northern coastline, and bore the brunt of the disaster, accounting for more than half of the total reported deaths.
According to the Aceh Disaster Management Authority, the worst-hit areas were Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh.
Asnani’s Lampuk village is located in the fishing community of Aceh Besar, known for its white sand beaches and turquoise waters. But that day suffered the most damage, with waves more than 30 meters (98 feet) high altering Aceh’s coastline and causing post-earthquake land subsidence.
Buildings along the coast are flattened to the ground except for Rahmatullah Mosque500 meters (1,600 ft) from the coast and approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) from Asnani’s home. The photo of the place of worship remained largely intact and later became iconic.
A woman walks through an opening in the wall of a building that was severely damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashmad Ibrahim)
After the tragic events, thousands of people, including Asnani, had to emigrate for a new start. She moved with her uncle to another region of Aceh to continue her studies. After getting married, she returned to her parents’ home, which was rebuilt with assistance from the Turkish government in 2007, and lived there for 10 years.
Numerous international donors and organizations poured in funds to help rebuild the affected areas, which lost schools, hospitals and basic infrastructure, and came back stronger than before the tsunami struck.
The Tsunami and Disaster Prevention Research Center at Shea Kuala University in Aceh said in a report published in 2019 that more than 1,400 schools were destroyed and about 150,000 students had their education interrupted by the destructive waves. Recorded.
Three “evacuation buildings” were also constructed in relatively safe areas to accommodate thousands of people in the event of an earthquake and tsunami.
Memories of the tsunami are felt in almost all parts of the state.
Photos of the aftermath and vehicle debris are on display at the Aceh Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh, serving as a constant reminder of what was lost that day. Local authorities also moved a former floating diesel power plant barge, which was swept about 6 kilometers (about 4 miles) inland by the tsunami, to another memorial site.
Both locations have become the most popular tourist destinations in the region.
A man walks past a steel barge with a diesel generator that was washed ashore by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 14, and Dec. 15, 2024. It is currently preserved as a monument. (AP Photo/Ahmad Ibrahim)
Tourists stand on a platform near a house where a fishing boat washed ashore during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami landed on Friday, December 13, 2024, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. It is currently preserved as a monument. (AP Photo) /Ahmad Ibrahim)
But development has not stopped, and 20 years after the tsunami, the Aceh coast is filled with homes, cafes and restaurants, and tourism support facilities, while the hills in some areas are now occupied by people mining sand and stones. are.
Fazli, head of the Aceh Disaster Management Authority’s preparedness department, said the government had initially stipulated that no operations should be carried out within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of the coast. Over time, many displaced fishermen have returned to their original coastal homes, drawn by the livelihood and connection to the sea, despite being given housing elsewhere.
He also said government agencies had “provided information to the Aceh people” to deal with a potential tsunami. “People already know what to do,” said Fazli, who like other Indonesians uses a single name.
This aerial photo taken using a drone was taken on Friday, December 13, 2024, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, one of the areas most affected by the 20024 Indian Ocean tsunami. , showing the now densely populated village of Ure Rhuet. (AP) Photo/Ahmad Ibrahim)
Banda Aceh sociologist Siti Ikramatun said despite years of recovery and rebuilding, Aceh’s people need to remain vigilant.
“If people have experienced it (a tsunami), they might instinctively expect it. But people who have never experienced it don’t know what to do,” Ikramatoun said.
Various communities in Aceh, together with the national and local governments, commemorate the tsunami every year.
Banda Aceh’s art community expands in early December disaster prevention awareness Through theatrical and musical performances, people can more easily follow and target all groups, including those born after the tsunami.
Muslina, 43, a civil servant, took her youngest son to the Aceh Tsunami Museum to see a show. She lost relatives and loved ones 20 years ago and wants to always remember them.
“My son once asked me if there might be another tsunami when he grows up,” she said. “I told him I didn’t know. Only God knows, but if there’s a strong earthquake and the sea water recedes, we’ll run, run, run for higher ground.”
