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Khao Lak - Running To Stand Still January, 2008 |
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On December 26, 2004 an earthquake of magnitude 9.1 was generated off the western coast of Sumatra, creating a destructive tsunami wave that radiated outward. It is estimated that 230,000+ people were killed and missing - the 4th worst disaster in history. Many of the communities hit hard - like Khao Lak - have recovered physically but will probably never recover mentally. Others, like Aceh, Indonesia (the worst hit), still struggle.
Unlike other beaches in Thailand, Khao Lak faced directly towards the 9.1 epicenter and was not spared from the full force of the tsunami, the series of waves ultimately reaching 2 miles inland. Talking to the locals, you hear
remarkable stories: the day before the tsunami hit, all the elepha Yet talking to the locals is picking at a scab that never really heals. One night we were talking to Kwan, a sweet young gal who works with her extended family at a beachside restaurant bar. She had lost relatives and started to cry when she relived that awful day and how she was away in Bangkok. Very, very sad. As we walk the long stretches
of beautiful beaches - at least 5 miles in either direction - you see
subtle signs of the disaster - gray markers postedevery 100 yards,
evacuation signs, instructions in many languages to 'seek higher g And finally, I'm impacted by those poor souls trapped on the beach when it hit. Initially, the extremely low and receding water suckering people into the ocean in search of flopping fishes and curiosity. Then the first wall of muddy water 20 feet in height, cresting as it hit the shallow shoreline, followed by an even higher devastating wave. To be caught in the open with no chance of reaching safe haven, the sense of panic and doom and horror they must have felt - to know deep down they could never escape the deadly clutches and were just running to stand still...
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Khao
Lak - ground zero. The eerie calmness of the creamsicle colored
turquoise sea belied the fact that 5,000+ souls perished here on that
fateful day. Of the 8,200+ people that perished in Thailand, a
disproportionate number were claimed on this sobering beach. For weeks
and months afterwards, tsunami debris and bodies continued to be
regurgitated unto the beaches, a constant reminder to the survivors who
managed to escape the tidal wrath.
nts
at the local park busted out and headed to higher ground - or the group
of campers so persistently pecked by flocks of birds that they
relocated, thus saving their lives. 
round',
a small tsunami museum. Still, I keep a wary eye on this tranquil sea
and considered where this unlikely 'higher ground' is, since it's pretty
much flat jungle terrain above the beach for the most part.
