Boxing Day Earthquake and 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Twenty Years Later

Content Warning: Natural Disaster and Descriptions of Death

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            Helene, then its torrential successor, Milton, has ravaged the East Coast of the United States in recent weeks. More than any other region, Florida has been subsumed into the tempest. There is not yet an official tally of the dual hurricane’s body count, no less economic toll, but one thing is known: Coastal Americans are in for a rough winter. However, imagine if we had no early warning systems. Imagine the exponential increase in misery if not for a coordinated evacuation and following recovery effort. What if we only knew the storm was coming as it started to take lives on beaches and harbors that would have otherwise been entirely secure? What if we experienced the catastrophic damage millions did on December 26^th, 2004?

This article is not here to answer that question but to tell the story of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami after the twenty years since its occurrence. Looking at the areas affected by the earthquake-spawned waves gives a false impression of the calamity from two decades prior. Viewing modern pictures of Coastal Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, and tens of other nations would scarcely indicate that a combined 230,000 perished on those same shores in living memory. What these new illustrious buildings and modern amenities shadow are the loved ones who cannot be rebuilt. Since it has been an entire fifth of a century since the often mistakenly called “Bali Tsunami,” the only remnants of its carnage exist in memory, alongside the preventative systems made in its wake. So, to keep the memory of those lost alive and perhaps look into the past for guidance on rebuilding our communities today, let us recount the events of the 26^th.

According to the International Association for Gondwana Research in Japan, the nightmare began ten seconds before 7:59 AM, off the Indonesian Island of Sumatra’s coast. A “strike-slip” occurred on the Faultline under the water just off the West Coast; in its immediate aftermath, an earthquake erupted, measuring a 9.1 on the Richter Scale. Beyond being the third-largest quake in the last century, it sent waves hurtling toward the heavily populated coastlines of the Indian Ocean. A seismic recording facility all the way across the Pacific in Hawaii was among the first to get readings on the tectonic activity. Yet, they could not relay their findings to the region fast enough.

The first wave moved with speeds up to nearly 500 miles per hour (800 KPH). Countries in the immediate vicinity were hit almost immediately; within thirty minutes, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand were hit with the first in a series of waves that swept up thousands of people. In the next three hours, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka received what those in the East were still reeling from. Eight hours later, even Somalia was touched by the wave. Death followed, no matter the distance.

Whether it be the initial wave, the trough, or the post-tsunami complications, death was perpetuated by the ocean’s wrath. Somalia reported 289 deaths, and South Africa only two; however, they were among the lucky. Indonesia alone accrued 167,540 victims, trailed by 35,322 in Sri Lanka. India and Thailand take the next two spots with 16,269 and 8,212, respectively. Compounding the loss was over a million individuals now made refugees by the tides. How could they go home? What could they come home to? Although I find it borderline distasteful to measure loss in cash amounts for events such as these, the number hovers at nearly ten billion USD. Each dollar of that ten billion is not just money; it’s the approximation of an immeasurable loss—generational homes, flourishing businesses, jewelry, family heirlooms, and more. A number put in place to somehow get across the crushing reality of being victimized by nature.

To talk of colossal tsunamis and billions in damage shrinks the individual experiences of this disaster. Although there are thousands—if not millions— of accounts to choose from, the 2007 account of Ari Palawi from the Association for Asia Studies is as detailed as it is concise. He came from a region of Indonesia called Aceh, which was in armed rebellion against the Indonesian Government. Ari was a scholar at heart and left the area for study; he had returned to Aceh territory in the city of Peurada by the time the Tsunami occurred. The recounting of his story is harrowing, hinged on the fact that they had no prior warning of the disaster’s arrival. For a moment, he was unsure if he could save both his mother and sister, but fortunately, a pause in the initial tremors allowed him to get his mother out of the impending wave. In that thirty-minute window between the earthquake and tsunami, he was able to relocate with his family to a mosque not too far away from his home. The day after was more difficult than the one before, as the water had lowered enough for his village to survey the damage. Houses collapsed, bodies lining the street, electricity entirely severed; the area had seemingly revered to that of centuries before.

Recovery efforts began as soon as the water finally recoiled back to the shore. Like so many others, he was forced to rely on the aid of his neighbors, which brings us to the failures in response. An independent evaluation of the international response from John Telford and John Cosgrave reports the unique failures of an exceedingly well-funded project. In the days after December 26^th, money flowed in from everywhere from everyone. The final dollar amount of international aid is stated to be 13.5 billion, which sounds wonderful—which it is as a testament to humanity—but it presented a cascade of compromising issues. Disbursement was not needs-based but donation-dependent, i.e., if a person donated to India, it could not be rerouted to somewhere in more need. Alongside that came a quick hire of untrained personnel without a strong central organization to coordinate with. In most events, funding is sparse, so relief is forced to work together to be efficient, not in the case of 2004’s Tsunami. People began to compete and waste resources; some countries did not get the support needed entirely. The lack of structure led to a lack of command, which had to contend with local forces, generally the military, who had other duties. All of which held international support back, leaving gaps for the community to somehow fill.