One Year Later: Mourners Remember Tsunami
One year after the massive South Asia quake-tsunami, the rebuilding of permanent homes and efforts to restore livelihoods, the return to normalcy is still a hope for the future instead of a reality for tsunami survivors.
A year has past since the magnitude-9 earthquake shook the Indian Ocean and generated 33-ft-high waves claiming 223,000 lives.
Yet despite $13.6 billion in relief pledges, the rebuilding of permanent homes and efforts to restore livelihoods, the return to normalcy is still a hope for the future instead of a reality for tsunami survivors.
Banda Aceh, Indonesia – the hardest hit area besides Sri Lanka – observed the first year of the world’s largest quake in 40 years by having a minute of silence following the siren set off at 8:16 a.m. local time (8:16 p.m. ET Sunday), reported the Associated Press.
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Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoke to the crowd about the “huge difference” made by the many countries that contributed to the aid of the victims and said much more remains to be done, according to CNN.
"Let us now bow our heads in silence to pray for the souls of hundreds of thousands who lost their lives," said Yudhoyono, sounding, for the first time, the siren that is part of the new early warning system to prevent the repeat of another tragedy.
The siren was tested in the Indonesian town of Padang where about 2,000 residents simulated evacuation with the help of emergency personnel on Monday.
Smaller ceremonies also occurred across Aceh where relatives prayed at the site of mass graves and tourists lay wreaths along the beaches, CNN reported.
Along the beachfront of Thailand, thousands of floating lanterns and wreaths marked the memories of the quake on Monday.
In the town of Peraliya in Southern Sri Lanka, an interdenominational gathering including Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslim priests chanted blessings at the site where nearly 1,000 people died when their train was swept away by the tsunami, Reuters reported.
Sri Lanka also lowered its flags to half-staff, bells ringing in churches, mosques and temples.
In India, children dressed in white and marched on the street where thousands were swept away.
The tsunami displaced millions of tons of water and caused giant waves to crash upon the coasts from Malaysia to the East African coast. The Indian Ocean quake swept away entire villages in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
“Nature is an awesome force and it can inflict great tragedy, yet throughout history, humanity has come back from fire and flood to build anew," U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday in a statement released by the White House.
"One year after the tsunami, Americans of all faiths join nations around the world in the spirit of unity, remembrance and resolve. May Almighty God comfort all those affected by the tsunami and give them strength in the years ahead."
Christian organizations played a large part in the tsunami relief efforts, with World Vision (WV) ranked highest for aid in Indonesia and India according to a recent survey of aid recipients conducted by the Fritz Institute.
“This has been a year of impossibilities becoming possible,” said Ian Curtis, World Vision’s Asia Tsunami Response Team (ATRT) Director, “a series of minor miracles, of daunting targets and activity schedules becoming achievable and realized through the dedication of so many people.
“God's hand has really been on us as we have seen His Grace in so many ways.”
Other Christian groups working in tsunami devastated areas include Church World Service (CWS), Food for the Hungry, Habitat for Humanity International, Lutheran World Relief (LWR), MAP International, The Salvation Army, World Relief, and World Vision among others.
The Salvation Army received over $24 million in donations for its relief work, Habitat for Humanity received nearly $44 million, and World Vision had over $63 million.
“We need to remember to pray for those who were personally impacted as the anniversary will reopen deep wounds,” said Curtis.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in a video message broadcast at the Aceh ceremony said, "A year on, there has been tremendous progress in many areas ... And yet in some ways, the most challenging days lie ahead.”
