‘Is this the end of the earth?’ BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Fifteen years ago, hundreds of thousands of people ran for their lives. For nearly a quarter million of them, there was no escape. Primal instinct drove one woman, who was seven months pregnant, to sprint inland from her home near the Indian Ocean. She ran alongside her husband, her grandmother, her parents and her 3-year-old sister. Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, could not have outrun the unseen monster that chased them. They heard the killer before they saw it, a terrible rumbling sound gaining on them. Behind them, fleeing fishermen screamed. The family held hands as they ran. The pregnant woman and her father each clutched one of the 3-year-old’s hands in one of their own. Her parents held hands. The grandmother lagged behind. Suddenly, their legs felt heavier. Something started to suck them backward. A 15-foot wave from the deadliest tsunami in recorded human history swept the women and the girl off their feet. The pregnant woman lost her grip on the 3-year-old’s hand and couldn’t find her. The undercurrent swiftly dragged her back toward her farm. She saw her mother struggle as she herself recovered to run through mud and debris and grab her husband’s shirt collar from behind. When she turned to look for her grandmother, mother and sister, she saw an even more prodigious beast, a dark wall of fast water more than 30 feet high. She saw it swallow her grandmother and mother. Read the rest of my story here. |