The before
and after pictures say it all. And now, exactly 10 years on, it is almost
unimaginable that Aceh was left devastated by a massive tsunami, triggered by
an undersea earthquake so powerful it made the earth itself wobble on its axis.
On the
western tip of Indonesia, Aceh province was the closest landmass to the
earthquake epicentre, and by far the worst affected. About 170,000 people died,
hundreds of thousands more lost their houses and livelihood. Most man-made
structures, some of them three miles inland from the 500-mile coastline, were
completely destroyed.
The disaster
triggered a massive influx of international aid, and a decade later, Aceh can
say it has been successfully rebuilt. “On the ground, if you look around,
things are really normal, much better than before,” says Kuntoro Mangkusubroto,
who headed Aceh’s reconstruction agency.
Some 140,000
houses were rebuilt across the province, as well as clinics, schools and other
buildings. A total of 3,500 roads were rebuilt. “I think it’s the only place in
Indonesia where village roads are paved,” says Mr Mangkusubroto.
The 2004
tsunami (Then/Now)The 2004 tsunami (Then/Now)The 2004 tsunami (Then/Now)The
2004 tsunami (Then/Now)The 2004 tsunami (Then/Now)The 2004 tsunami
(Then/Now)The 2004 tsunami (Then/Now)The 2004 tsunami (Then/Now)
Banda Aceh,
the province’s capital, is now a small pleasant city on the seaside. But most
of its inhabitants today are survivors who lost relatives. Buildings might have
been rebuilt, but the disaster still dominates the identity of the city and its
people.
Across the
city, tsunami landmarks have been preserved for remembrance. In Gampong
Lampulo, a fishing boat stranded on top of crumbling houses stands out. The
tsunami’s massive waves flung it here, nearly two miles from the sea.
Fauziah, 45,
sells souvenirs to tourists who come see the “boat on the roof”. Her house used
to be under the fishing boat, and she is one of 59 people who managed to climb
on to it and survive the waves.
Prayers in
Banda Aceh yesterday for the victims of the tsunami that struck 10 years ago
today and killed 170,000 people in the Indonesian city Prayers in Banda Aceh
yesterday for the victims of the tsunami that struck 10 years ago today and
killed 170,000 people in the Indonesian city (Reuters)
“After the
earthquake, my son went to see what was going on,” she remembers. “He came back
running and screaming ‘Go upstairs, Mum, upstairs’.” Fauziah took her five
children to the second floor, but, “in seconds the water was everywhere.” Soon,
they had water up to their chests. “We thought it was the end, that Judgement
Day had arrived,” she says, as she shows how she carried her five-month old
baby with outstretched arms to try to save her. “Then we heard people screaming
that there was a boat stuck on the roof.
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“My son
managed to kick a sheet of metal from the ceiling, just enough for one person
to get through. He climbed on to the roof, and then helped us out, and on to
the boat.” For hours, they watched their city being destroyed. “The sea was
everywhere, no building standing. The waves hitting houses sounded like bombs
being dropped.”
Today,
Fauziah sells dried fish that she prepares herself and displays in boxes
decorated with photos of the boat.
While she
feels grateful for the fact that the boat became a tourist attraction, allowing
her to make a living, she admits to having mixed feelings. Fauziah’s five
children survived, and the baby she held above her head is now a shy
10-year-old girl. But her husband, her mother and brothers and sisters all died
in the tsunami.
“Sometimes I
feel sad,” she says. “I see people over there having fun and laughing. As if
this is a place for having fun.”
Elsewhere in
the city, a 2,600-tonne cargo boat brought in by the waves was also left
untouched. This boat hasn’t saved any lives; it razed an entire neighbourhood.
“We suspect there are still lot of bodies under it,” says Herlina, 29, who
works as a guide on this site.
The fishing
port in Banda Aceh - the worst-hit region by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - is
preparing to commemorate its 10th anniversary The fishing port in Banda Aceh -
the worst-hit region by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - is preparing to
commemorate its 10th anniversary (AP)
Like most of
those who work on tsunami-landmarks-turned-tourist attractions, she’s also a
survivor of the tsunami. “At first, it was very hard to talk to people about
what happened. But working here, I got used to it,” she says, adding that her
job has actually helped her. “As time goes by, I feel like this is trauma
therapy for me.”
As many as
1,000 people visit the cargo ship on weekdays, at least twice as many during
weekends and holidays, and many locals in the area benefit from this unexpected
boost in tourism. “It’s turned into a good thing after the bad thing,” Herlina
believes.
The most
noticeable tsunami landmark in town is the massive museum dedicated to the
tsunami, built in the city centre during reconstruction. Visitors enter through
a dark, cave-like tunnel, water running down the high walls to the sound of
echoing, almost monastic, chants. In one narrow, high-ceilinged tower inside
the museum, names of victims are displayed on the wall, and only receive light
from a small, round window at the top.
Its director,
Zuhardi Hatta, says the museum is essential “to remember the hundreds of
thousands of people we lost.” But many have found its high cost hard to swallow
– the local tourism department says 150 billion Indonesian Rupees (£7.7m) has
already been spent on it. People also complain there is not much inside. Even
Mr Mangkusubroto, whose reconstruction agency contributed to building the
museum, is less than positive.
“I don’t
regret that we built a tsunami museum. The structure is good and it’s a
beautiful building. But you go inside, you see nothing. There is no soul in
this museum,” he says. Azhari Aiyub, who runs a local cultural centre, calls
the museum a waste of money, and says it’s “ridiculous.”
“I went
there yesterday, I saw all these people taking pictures, smiling. This is not
about sadness, this is entertainment,” he says.
But the
local authorities are proud that the museum has been conceived to serve as an
escape building in case of a new disaster alert. “It can resist 12 to 15m waves
and hold around 3,000 people,” Mr Hatta says.
Authorities
have made disaster prevention a priority. Other escape buildings have been
built, and people have been educated on evacuation procedures.
The
country’s meteorological agency monitors potential earthquakes and tsunamis, a
warning alert system has been put in place, and signs indicating the route to
the nearest escape-building have been placed across the city.
The disaster
prevention system has also been criticised – the warning sirens failed to ring
during an earthquake in 2012 – but locals say they’re now prepared.
Rusmaizar, a
48 year-old fisherman living near the small port of Deah Glumpang in Banda
Aceh, says “everyone ran straight to the escape building” following the 2012
earthquake. In case of a new disaster, “people will know what to do,” he says.