Citation

Kothari U, Arnall A, Azfa A. Disasters 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12578

PMID

36813759

Abstract

The moment of the tsunami Allah had never given us a more beautiful and calmer day. There was no wind, no clouds. But I had an uneasy feeling, it seemed too calm. It was beyond my imagination that a huge earthquake had occurred somewhere in the world and that this was going to change our lives forever. I noticed water coming into my house but after about five minutes it receded. Hearing people shouting, I went outside and saw that the whole ocean had dried up. The reef was completely exposed, and people were walking from Kandholhudhoo to Bandaveri, the neighbouring island, which you can normally only reach by boat because the ocean in between is so deep. This was not just another sea surge that commonly affected the island, the exposed reef told me that this was not a normal event. Soon, I saw an enormous wall of water surging towards the island. And then it happened, right before my eyes. The great wall of water fell onto the island, submerging it and engulfing me. You can't imagine the power of those waves. Someone grabbed my hand, pulling me to a nearby tree, saving me just before I would have been swept away over the sea wall into the open sea. My nephew managed to save my children and we tried to make our way to the mosque as it had two storeys and is in the middle of the island. There was debris scattered everywhere: tin roofs, wooden planks, dhonis, tables, chairs, beds. I saw children being pulled out of the water. We arrived at the mosque where the island office staff had told everyone to gather. Oh, the scene was so terrible, your heart would have broken. I remember the day of the tsunami as if it happened yesterday. Even now when I hear songs composed to commemorate that day or watch video clips of the event it fills me with sadness. It seemed impossible that something like that could happen, especially on such a beautiful, calm day.

Language: en