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- Jan 26, 2003
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The link to the story above about how oral history saved islanders from the tsunami is working again if anyone wants to read it.
Here is how it begins:
"The ground shook so hard, people couldn't stand up when the massive earthquake rattled this remote Indonesian island -- the closest inhabited land to the epicenter of the devastating temblor.
But, unlike the hundreds of thousands of others who thought the worst was over when the shuddering stopped, the islanders remembered their grandparents' warnings and fled to higher ground in fear of giant waves known locally as semong.
Within 30 minutes, Simeulue became the first coastline in the world to experience the awesome force of the Dec. 26 tsunami. But only seven of the island's 75,000 people died, thanks to the stories passed down over the generations.
'After the earthquake, I looked for the water to suck out,' said Kiro, 50, who like many Indonesians uses one name. 'I remember the story of the semong and I ran to the hill.'"
The story goes on to detail how people remembered that the first wave was only the first sign of disaster for their ancestors who had experienced a tidal wave and how they dragged other people with them to higher ground when this one hit. It is fascinating...and one happy experience to come out of that disaster.
Here is how it begins:
"The ground shook so hard, people couldn't stand up when the massive earthquake rattled this remote Indonesian island -- the closest inhabited land to the epicenter of the devastating temblor.
But, unlike the hundreds of thousands of others who thought the worst was over when the shuddering stopped, the islanders remembered their grandparents' warnings and fled to higher ground in fear of giant waves known locally as semong.
Within 30 minutes, Simeulue became the first coastline in the world to experience the awesome force of the Dec. 26 tsunami. But only seven of the island's 75,000 people died, thanks to the stories passed down over the generations.
'After the earthquake, I looked for the water to suck out,' said Kiro, 50, who like many Indonesians uses one name. 'I remember the story of the semong and I ran to the hill.'"
The story goes on to detail how people remembered that the first wave was only the first sign of disaster for their ancestors who had experienced a tidal wave and how they dragged other people with them to higher ground when this one hit. It is fascinating...and one happy experience to come out of that disaster.
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