SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
International aid worker Margarettha Siregar remembers exactly where she was on December 26, 2004, when she heard about a 9.3-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.
MARGARETTHA SIREGAR: I was on my way to church for Sunday Mass. And before we went, I'd look at the news. And it said there was an earthquake, and there are hundreds of casualties.
MCCAMMON: The earthquake triggered a tsunami that washed across the Indian Ocean with waves of up to 100 feet. The disaster killed more than 200,000 people across 14 countries. Siragar, who ended up traveling to the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh to help with the relief effort, still remembers how vast the destruction was.
SIREGAR: From the plane's window, I could see the Banda Aceh city. Half of them was flattened by the tsunami. It was like someone scratch the map.
MCCAMMON: What was it like when you met the people that you were there to help?
SIREGAR: When I started to introduce myself to the people, they were so quiet because they lost everything. Some of the children told me that they saw the waves such as giant cobra. The current was just flowing across the coconut trees. It was even higher than the coconut trees, and it was kind of, like, chasing them. And some even said that the clothes that they wore was torn apart by the waves because it was so strong.
MCCAMMON: Have you been back to those areas in the past 20 years?
SIREGAR: I went back to Banda Aceh around 2017 and 2018 because there was a small earthquake. And I could see the city become so much vibrant, so much livelier. We could not see any trace of the ruin, except for those museums and all the things that are there, preserved, just to commemorate the tsunami.
MCCAMMON: What is the lasting impact, though, of the tsunami?
SIREGAR: So the early warning systems now becomes important for the community, and we learned the lessons 20 years ago. I think this is also most important - putting the children and the most vulnerable group, those who are prone to disaster, at the center of the decision-making, because until now, a lot of children and communities still have limited awareness for the disasters. And also, they are saying that the early warning system still needs to be more promoted to the community. And also, the communication of early warning system needs to be tailored so community could understand.
MCCAMMON: You know, Margie, as you talk about the children, I'm just thinking about the fact that the children you were helping 20 years ago are all grown-ups now. I mean, I wonder how else you're reflecting on this anniversary.
SIREGAR: Yeah, now we also have the new generations that never experience the tsunami. But we know that these kind of disasters still could happen. So mainstreaming the disasters into our education systems is really important, so people still understand that there are risks that still happen. Especially nowadays, we can see that the number of disasters are actually increasing, not decreasing.
MCCAMMON: Margarettha Siregar is a senior manager for humanitarian emergency affairs at World Vision, Asia-Pacific region. Margie, thanks so much for joining us.
SIREGAR: Thank you, too, Sarah. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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