Twenty years after the tsunami: teaching for a better future!

Twenty years after the tsunami: teaching for a better future!

Aceh, Indonesien - Exactly 20 years ago, on December 26, 2004, the Indian ocean transformed into a battlefield. A huge earthquake of the strength 9.1 off the Indonesian coast triggered a devastating tsunami that generated waves of up to 30 meters. The terrible consequences were felt in 14 countries, with over 227,000 lost lives, with the province of Aceh in Indonesia affected with around 170,000 deaths. The Situation in Aceh was particularly dramatic, since a total of more than 230,000 people died, as reported by reports from vienna.at . The disaster had been tightened by the lack of an early warning system, which was only implemented after the tragedy.

The aid measures followed at the foot, but the challenge was enormous. In Aceh, humanitarian aid experienced slavish circumstances, such as "https://careindonesia.or.id/en/remembering-20-20-years-fter--asian-sunami-ruin-recovery-and- resilience/"> Care Indonesia . Numerous organizations mobilized to help those affected. In Sri Lanka, where 30,500 people died, the destruction was also enormous. The tsunami was also devastating in Thailand, where more than 5,000 people lost their lives. Here local fishermen and their infrastructure were hit particularly hard.

long -term effects and reconstruction

Two decades after the catastrophe can be seen that the return to normality was tedious. Nevertheless, significant progress was made. The establishment of civil protection programs, such as in Sri Lanka, where a center for crisis management has been set up, shows how important preparation is. In Thailand, the Raks Thai Foundation introduced innovative procedures such as a community financial system in order to give the relief goods direct financial support and to enable people to restore their livelihood. The teachings from the tragedy have changed humanitarian aid worldwide and illustrate the need for a coordinating approach, while the focus is on the longevity of the support and resilience of the communities, such as Ramesh Singh, the Asian regional director of Care. The work has not yet been completed because the challenges that are intensified by climate change remain omnipresent.