ACEH'S TSUNAMI MUSEUM REVIVES VIVID MEMORIES OF 2004 DEADLY CATASTROPHE by Fardah

  Jakarta, Jan 5, 2017 (Antara) - Located on the northern tip of Sumatra Island, Aceh is prone to quakes, with the most powerful one in the past decades being a 9.2-magnitude that triggered a gigantic tsunami in Aceh and Nias Island.

           The tsunami left some 200 thousand people dead or missing and one million others homeless in North Sumatra Province, on December 26, 2004.    
      The deadly catastrophe caused unbearable grief and suffering to the population. The survivors had to cope with injuries or the loss of loved ones or property.

           The major disaster destroyed some 80 percent of infrastructure in the worst-hit areas. The Indonesian government had set up a Nias and Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency to mainly handle the redevelopment of infrastructure and houses in the tsunami-devastated cities and villages, with funds coming from the Indonesian government and foreign countries' donations.

           In addition to Indonesia, the tsunami had caused damage in 17 other countries around the Indian Ocean: Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Reunion Island (French), Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, Oman, South Africa, and Australia.

          As a reminder of the humanitarian tragedy, an Aceh Tsunami Museum was built in Banda Aceh, the capital of the province.

           Open daily, except on Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon local time and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time, the museum building has adopted the design of a traditional raised Aceh house while at the same time it resembles a ship with its protruding funnel.

           Stepping inside, one will find a narrow corridor with water flowing from either side accompanied by scary rumbling sounds, reminding of the devastation caused by the 2004 tsunami.

           The museum also features an electronic simulation of the Indian Ocean earthquake, pictures of the casualties, and stories and testimonies of survivors. The two-story museum had cost about Rp70 billion to built.

           During 2017, a total of 706,646 tourists comprising 28,714 foreigners and 662,815 domestic travelers visited the Tsunami Museum.

           May 2017 was the peak month, with 118,693 tourist visits, Almuniza Kamal, coordinator of the Tsunami Museum, stated in Banda Aceh on Jan 3.

           In December, 79,459 people had visited the museum. Some two to six thousand people, mostly students, visit the museum on Sundays or other holidays.

          On December 26, 2017, thousands of Aceh residents offered prayers for the victims of the 2004 tsunami in several mass graves across Aceh Province, including at the Ulee Lheue mass grave, Meuraxa Sub-district.

         Aminullah Usman, mayor of the Banda Aceh municipality, participated in mass prayers held to commemorate the tragedy that struck 13 years ago.

         Rohani, a local inhabitant, noted that she always took part in the prayers annually, as she is certain that several of her family members, killed in the natural disaster, were buried in the mass grave.

         Meanwhile, hundreds of people of Gampong Pande, Kutaraja Sub-district, Banda Aceh, with most of them being children, took part in an earthquake and tsunami drill on Dec 26 last year.

         Gampong Village Chief Pande Amiruddin remarked that the drill was held to spread awareness among the people, especially children, to prepare them in case an earthquake or a tsunami struck.

         "This earthquake and tsunami drill was held to prepare people for what they should do in case of a disaster. Of course, with this agenda, we hope that the residents of Gampong Pande would be prepared during that time," Amiruddin noted.

         The drill kicked off with the dissemination of information on high-magnitude earthquakes, and the people were instructed to gather at one spot before being brought to the evacuation area.     
    The children were evacuated to the village hall to receive first aid for cases mostly related to injuries and bleeding.

         According to the next step, the victims in critical condition will be brought aboard ambulances to the nearest hospital to receive advanced medical aid.

         Apart from the drill, Amiruddin pointed out that the people of Gampong Pande need a safe shelter where they can be evacuated in case of a disaster.

         "We need a safe shelter, as Gampong Pande is located less than a kilometer from the coast. We hope the government would build the shelter here," he stated.

         Gampong Pande is located on the coast of Banda Aceh. This area was flattened and devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Aceh on December 26, 2004.

         The disaster killed more than three quarters of Gampong Pande's population, and not a single building was able to withstand the disaster.

         "Before the tsunami struck, Gampong Pande's community comprised 1,500 people. However, after the disaster struck, only some 200 were left. The figure has already increased since then," Amiruddin noted.

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EDITED BY INE


(T.F001/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 05-01-2018