The Tsunami…One year later
The Tsunami…One year later
What a difference a year makes in the lives of the many people who suffered one of the world’s worst natural disasters. An earthquake just a day after Christmas only 90 miles off the shore of Indonesia sent not one but three tsunami waves destroying hundreds villages, thousands of homes, and drowning hundreds of thousands of people.
On this one year anniversary I had the great fortune of being able to travel to northern Indonesia, specifically the Ache province. I went with Bishop Robert Lynch the Chairman of CRS International, to speak with the people of Ache and see the progress being made in this vast area of destruction. Like any catastrophic event, what you see on the news does not begin to show you what is really happening in this poor Muslim country.
I never realized that three waves hit the coastal area (not one as reported) and that many of the people were actually killed from the second wave which hit forty minutes after the first. It was the biggest and because many thought the first was it, they began to come back to assess the damage and help others. More than 90,000 were buried in mass graves which we drove by on many of the roads and more than 140,000 others were never found, simply washed out to sea.
We all read about what was expected next…starvation, disease, and uncertainty of any relief because of ongoing fighting by the rebels. Within days, not only did relief show up but in a big way with our military playing a big part along with multiple NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) such as CRS, CARE, CARITAS and many others. If an Indonesian was fortunate enough to make it through that horrible day then help was available in some form and survival made certain.
The work over the last year by the many NGO’s, lead by CRS would make every American proud and will forever change the way Indonesians look at westerners. These people begged our military not to leave after the initial emergency began to subside and although many groups have left the area, CRS and a few others have made long term commitments to the area understanding that it will take a minimum of 5 years or more to get this region back together and able to function on their own.
Before I went to the Ache province of Indonesia I had read about groups providing food, water, medical aid, and building shelters. What I witnessed is a commitment by CRS and others to not only meet the short term emergency needs of the people but to also re-establish the community helping to build or fix schools, parks, government buildings, Mosques and churches, hospitals, health clinics, roads, drainage and water systems, markets, piers, power generation, and much more.
The tsunami washed away more than 1 million homes and 650 villages leaving the people in tents and temporary shelters. Now you can see construction of new homes everywhere you go. These homes are a significant improvement over what was washed away constructed to survive a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and fully-equipped with running water, sanitation, and electricity. The timber used in these homes is legally harvested from reforestation projects and the local contractors and laborers are hired as soon as possible in order to support and reinvigorate the local economy.
I did not realize from the news reports that significant portions of land actually washed away because of the tsunami and the remaining land has sunk 1 to 2 meters because of the earthquake. On top of this, most if not all records were lost, so land ownership and titling has been a major issue that needed to be resolved in many cases before building could begin.
Much of the infrastructure was destroyed. Roads have to be rebuilt and in some cases like the island of Pulo Ache, the road system has to be completely redesigned because much of the land that the original road was on is gone. People collected drinking water in shallow wells and most of these were contaminated by seawater up to 2 kilometers from the shore. Many of the wells have been cleaned and are recovering. Pump stations and new gravity fed water systems have been built with more to come.
It is estimated that more than a quarter of the working population, more than 600,000 people, in the Ache province have lost their jobs as a result of the tsunami. Markets have been built; cooperatives were awarded grants to assist in the re-establishment of their businesses. CRS has assisted over 500 traders, including poultry farmers, fish traders, gold thread embroidery artisans, joinery workers, and many others to get their trades re-established.
The unexpected benefit of this tragic event was the peace accord signed between the military and the rebels which has stopped fighting that has gone on in this region for decades. The presence of westerners and other helpers from around the world has calmed the area and bred a new healthy attitude. I had a chance to speak with many of the local people and they are so happy and appreciative for all of the help from the many NGO’s working daily in Indonesia.
I realize it is not something you will see on the news but I have witnessed the tremendous progress first hand. The people of Meulaboh, Banda Ache, Pulo Ache, Singkil, Blang Pidie, Calang, and Nias over the next 5 years I believe will be much better off than they were before the tsunami. All of the organizations helping to rebuild the region are following the creed of CRS, “building back better.” Although progress is being made it is because of the shear magnitude of the undertaking that it will take several years to rebuild these areas.
It is my humble observation that this area of the world will be forever changed by the Christmas Tsunami of 2004. These people who were controlled by military and feared for their lives are now free to roam the streets without restraint. These beautiful kids will grow up liking and accepting westerners, Christians, and all who came to help when they lost everything. They told me how sad they were when our military left after the initial emergency subsided and how much they appreciated all of the help they gave in their time of need.
Most cultures pass their history on to future generations in their art. If you have the opportunity to travel to this beautiful country you will see paintings of the big wave, people being swept away, and children alone. You will also see as many paintings of the many different NGO’s helping, US military helicopters and ships bringing food, and Christians helping Muslims. This is a very good thing.
What a difference a year makes in the lives of the many people who suffered one of the world’s worst natural disasters. An earthquake just a day after Christmas only 90 miles off the shore of Indonesia sent not one but three tsunami waves destroying hundreds villages, thousands of homes, and drowning hundreds of thousands of people.
On this one year anniversary I had the great fortune of being able to travel to northern Indonesia, specifically the Ache province. I went with Bishop Robert Lynch the Chairman of CRS International, to speak with the people of Ache and see the progress being made in this vast area of destruction. Like any catastrophic event, what you see on the news does not begin to show you what is really happening in this poor Muslim country.
I never realized that three waves hit the coastal area (not one as reported) and that many of the people were actually killed from the second wave which hit forty minutes after the first. It was the biggest and because many thought the first was it, they began to come back to assess the damage and help others. More than 90,000 were buried in mass graves which we drove by on many of the roads and more than 140,000 others were never found, simply washed out to sea.
We all read about what was expected next…starvation, disease, and uncertainty of any relief because of ongoing fighting by the rebels. Within days, not only did relief show up but in a big way with our military playing a big part along with multiple NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) such as CRS, CARE, CARITAS and many others. If an Indonesian was fortunate enough to make it through that horrible day then help was available in some form and survival made certain.
The work over the last year by the many NGO’s, lead by CRS would make every American proud and will forever change the way Indonesians look at westerners. These people begged our military not to leave after the initial emergency began to subside and although many groups have left the area, CRS and a few others have made long term commitments to the area understanding that it will take a minimum of 5 years or more to get this region back together and able to function on their own.
Before I went to the Ache province of Indonesia I had read about groups providing food, water, medical aid, and building shelters. What I witnessed is a commitment by CRS and others to not only meet the short term emergency needs of the people but to also re-establish the community helping to build or fix schools, parks, government buildings, Mosques and churches, hospitals, health clinics, roads, drainage and water systems, markets, piers, power generation, and much more.
The tsunami washed away more than 1 million homes and 650 villages leaving the people in tents and temporary shelters. Now you can see construction of new homes everywhere you go. These homes are a significant improvement over what was washed away constructed to survive a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and fully-equipped with running water, sanitation, and electricity. The timber used in these homes is legally harvested from reforestation projects and the local contractors and laborers are hired as soon as possible in order to support and reinvigorate the local economy.
I did not realize from the news reports that significant portions of land actually washed away because of the tsunami and the remaining land has sunk 1 to 2 meters because of the earthquake. On top of this, most if not all records were lost, so land ownership and titling has been a major issue that needed to be resolved in many cases before building could begin.
Much of the infrastructure was destroyed. Roads have to be rebuilt and in some cases like the island of Pulo Ache, the road system has to be completely redesigned because much of the land that the original road was on is gone. People collected drinking water in shallow wells and most of these were contaminated by seawater up to 2 kilometers from the shore. Many of the wells have been cleaned and are recovering. Pump stations and new gravity fed water systems have been built with more to come.
It is estimated that more than a quarter of the working population, more than 600,000 people, in the Ache province have lost their jobs as a result of the tsunami. Markets have been built; cooperatives were awarded grants to assist in the re-establishment of their businesses. CRS has assisted over 500 traders, including poultry farmers, fish traders, gold thread embroidery artisans, joinery workers, and many others to get their trades re-established.
The unexpected benefit of this tragic event was the peace accord signed between the military and the rebels which has stopped fighting that has gone on in this region for decades. The presence of westerners and other helpers from around the world has calmed the area and bred a new healthy attitude. I had a chance to speak with many of the local people and they are so happy and appreciative for all of the help from the many NGO’s working daily in Indonesia.
I realize it is not something you will see on the news but I have witnessed the tremendous progress first hand. The people of Meulaboh, Banda Ache, Pulo Ache, Singkil, Blang Pidie, Calang, and Nias over the next 5 years I believe will be much better off than they were before the tsunami. All of the organizations helping to rebuild the region are following the creed of CRS, “building back better.” Although progress is being made it is because of the shear magnitude of the undertaking that it will take several years to rebuild these areas.
It is my humble observation that this area of the world will be forever changed by the Christmas Tsunami of 2004. These people who were controlled by military and feared for their lives are now free to roam the streets without restraint. These beautiful kids will grow up liking and accepting westerners, Christians, and all who came to help when they lost everything. They told me how sad they were when our military left after the initial emergency subsided and how much they appreciated all of the help they gave in their time of need.
Most cultures pass their history on to future generations in their art. If you have the opportunity to travel to this beautiful country you will see paintings of the big wave, people being swept away, and children alone. You will also see as many paintings of the many different NGO’s helping, US military helicopters and ships bringing food, and Christians helping Muslims. This is a very good thing.
posted by Marc Barhonovich | 5:43 AM
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