The Tropical Sun Shone Mightily Embracing Beach-goers With The Warmth Of Indonesian Hospitality. Children Can Be Heard Screaming Playfully On The White Sands. The Unperturbed Scene Was Typical Of An Indonesian Holiday Despite The Winter Cold Elsewhere In The World. Then, A 9.0-magnitude Earthquake Originated Undersea Shook Off The Coast Of Sumatra. About A Couple Hours Following The Quake, Some Force Suddenly Seemed To Draw All The Seawater From The Shores As If A Low Tide Quickly Arrived. It Took Only A Few Minutes After 30-meter Waves, Higher Than Coconut Trees, Swept The Unprepared Resort Visitors And Left Their Bodies Drifting Out To Sea. Nobody Ever Imagined A Disaster With Such Great Magnitude Would Hit Several Countries And Cause Tens Of Thousands Of Death On A Holiday Season. The Devastation Hit Most Of The Coasts Of Java While The Aftershocks Of The Quake Itself Was Felt As Far As Alaska. The Tsunami In Indonesia In December 26, 2004 Was Triggered By One Of The Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded On A Seismograph In 40 Years. Although Earthquakes Are Common Thing In Indonesia, A Tsunami In Indonesia Is Rare. The Archipelago Is Prone To Seismic Disturbances Because It Lies On The Pacific "Ring Of Fire". About 90 Of Earthquakes Around The World Occur Around This Belt As Well As Volcanic Activities. The Death Toll Of The December 2004 Tsunami In Indonesia Reached More Than 200,000 (in Indonesia Alone). Java Was The Most Affected Since The Earthquake Originated Just Off Its Coast. Aside From The Hundreds Of Lives Lost, The Destruction In Java And Other Stricken Areas Were Worth Billions Of Dollars And Displaced Almost Half A Million People. The Region Was Without Electricity For Months, 85 Of Water Was Unsanitary.Another Tsunami In Indonesia Swept The Coasts Of Pangandaran Resort In The Southern Region Of Java. Two-meter High Waves Were Triggered By A 7.7-magnitude Undersea Earthquake On July 17, 2006 That Shook Off The Coasts Of Christmas Island, Bandung, Tasikmalaya, And Jakarta. Around 1,300 People Were Killed While Thousands Were Left Homeless Due To The Said Tsunami In Indonesia. The December 2004 Tsunami In Indonesia Is One Of The Deadliest Disasters In The World. Indonesian Officials Have Initiated Tsunami Drills To Minimize Casualties Due To Earthquakes And Tsunamis. Every Tsunami In Indonesia Is A Terrifying Incident That Left A Bleeding Mark Both In The Minds Of Locals And Visitors Alike And Is Often A Reminder Of Our Ephemeral Lives.
