‘My entire family was gone’: Aceh thrives 20 years after tragic tsunami, but anguish remains

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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia: Aceh resident Nahrawi Noerdin was among the lucky ones to survive the devastating Indian ocean tsunami 20 years ago.

The former small business operator was out at sea that fateful day, but nothing could prepare him for what he was about to realise when he got back to shore. 

“After the tsunami, I was alone. My entire family was gone,” said the now 50-year-old.

Despite his own loss, he volunteered to help others affected for the next three months.

He thought: “If I help these victims, maybe my body and soul will be at peace and not remember anything.”

On December 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people across more than a dozen countries. 

The tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters recorded in history, was caused by the movement of tectonic plates which make up the earth’s surface and float on molten rock that are constantly moving.
 
Among the first signs of the 2004 tsunami was a sudden retreat of water from the beach. As the waves approach shallow water, they become compressed, causing them to grow in height up to 30m.
 
The giant waves then slammed into coastal communities, devastating almost everything in its path.

THE IMPACT ON ACEH

Indonesia’s Aceh province bore the brunt of the disaster, with the giant waves wiping out entire villages in minutes. The tsunami killed an estimated 130,000 people there.

The densely populated Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, was the worst hit with about 60,000 people dead.

At the Ulee Lheue mass grave, more than 14,000 victims of the disaster were buried. They remain unknown, as there was no time to identify the bodies and give them proper funeral rites. 

But some residents believe their loved ones are buried there and have placed tombstones to remember them.

Two decades after the tsunami, Banda Aceh is now thriving. But the anguish remains etched in the memories of its people.

Tsunami survivor Lia Mailani was only eight years old when the tsunami hit. She became an orphan overnight when both her parents were killed.
 
“During the earthquake, my father was at sea. He was a fisherman,” said Lia, who now makes ends meet working in a local restaurant just off Banda Aceh.
 
“The neighbours told him not to go, but he insisted because he was the sole breadwinner. I didn’t see him again.”
 
Initially, Lia could not come to terms with the course of her life.
 
But she added: “I have to be strong because it’s impossible for me to continue like this. I have to be independent because if I reminisce too much about the past, it’s impossible to recover.”

WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN?

Aceh’s residents, who are predominantly Muslim, are firm believers in destiny.
 
“We live, we try to survive. After that, what happens is in God’s hands. So, by believing the disaster to be destiny, it is God’s will that must be accepted,” said Ade Surya, the acting mayor of Banda Aceh.
 
“After the tsunami, the people of Aceh complain less. That is the strength of the people of Banda Aceh with their obedience as Muslims who believe that this is a test given by God.”
 
Despite the gloom, there was a silver lining in the tsunami aftermath, when peace finally prevailed in Aceh after struggling in a decades-long armed conflict.
 
The disaster led to a peace agreement between the armed separatists of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government, bringing an end to the insurgency.
 
Former GAM company commander Afrizal was in the separatist camp in the mountains when the tsunami struck the coast of Aceh.
 
“I told my men to go down, whatever the risks. In conditions like this, we couldn’t remain still,” he said.
 
“So I told my men I would throw down my weapons. There’s no use in fighting anymore. There are many people who need help below. On the first and second days, we helped the refugees in their camps.”

Earth sciences expert Diego Melgar of the University of Oregon said countries have since improved their earthquake and tsunami preparedness, including having early warning systems and strict building codes. 

“The truth is that with increasing sea levels, tsunami impacts will become progressively deadlier,” he told CNA’s Asia First on Monday (Dec 23). 

“That’s something that we’re starting to take into account when we make preparations and calculations.”

There is also greater regional collaboration, including data sharing, he added. 

“That’s not something that was happening in 2004,” said Melgar. “So that makes it easier to alert folks when tsunamis happen. 

“It also makes it easier to share knowledge and information in terms of computer models and training and preparations, so that overall the entire region can be lifted and made more resilient rather than just this country or that country.”

He warned against being complacent when it comes to getting ready for the next major disaster. 

“We’re in a better place, but we’re not at our destination,” he said.

“We must think about our children and our children’s children. That’s the kind of mindset that will truly allow us to make it so that tragedies like the 2004 one never happen again.”