Tsunami Remembered

Words defy description. It was a massive 30 foot wall of sea, black in colour, stretching from one end of the beach to the other...the very sight of the mass of water rushing towards us...it was like a thousand freight trains charging at you...that thunderous roar itself petrified you with fear.

Tsunami eye witness

The day

On 26th December 2004 a massive earthquake off the Western Coast of Northern Sumatra triggered a disastrous tsunami that hit the Asian region killing more than a hundred and fifty thousand people and affecting millions. The number of deaths recorded in Sri Lanka exceeds 33,000; millions of Sri Lankans were rendered homeless and damage to the infrastructure and the economy of the country is colossal.

The event caused unprecedented damage to both life and property on the island.

The wave

Essentially the tsunami was a three phase event. First came the drawback of water –the ocean retreated exposing the seabed for up to a mile out. Many people, young in particular, ran out on to the sand, excited by the completely unexpected exposure of thousands of fish. They did not realise they were running to their deaths.

Then the great tsunami wave charged in – a 30 foot high wall of water, crashing boats on to the shore, carrying bodies and debris along with it, destroying buildings, terrifying those who witnessed it charging towards them. Thousands died instantly.

The aftermath

Finally, the third and even more destructive phase was the drawback of the water back out to sea, the retreating velocity being much greater than that of the incoming wave. With a force as powerful as that of a bomb, buildings and vehicles -including a whole train- were tossed into the air. Bodies, homes and valued possessions were swept away; most never to be recovered.

Hospitals, makeshift shelters, open areas and the roadsides were filled with dead, the dying and the wounded. Streets were littered with bricks, household items and recognisable pieces of what were once houses.