170,000 Lifeless: A Sad Story from the Past

That morning felt very cold, I woke up from a deep sleep after not being able to close my eyes all night. "Dedy... Dedy..." a call was heard from outside the room, I didn't get up from my bed, just looked at the clock on the wall of the room which showed 06.15 in the morning, "it's still too early," I said to myself.

I pulled the thick blanket back because I wanted to continue sleeping, but I was called again by my mother accompanied by repeated knocks on the door. "Dedy... Wake up... Wake up... Wake up son, hurry up and perform the dawn prayer, today you have to help your father in the rice fields" said my mother.

I remembered my father's message yesterday, he said that on Sunday he had to go to Langsa City to buy some shop necessities. I immediately got up from bed and performed prayer.

Actually, my physical condition today is not stable, but I have to go to the rice fields to prepare for planting rice, with breakfast of white rice and sambal fish wrapped in banana leaves accompanied by a bottle of hot tea in a plastic bag, I walked along the path to the rice fields located 1 kilometre from home.

I walked along the cold morning with my feet without sandals, the morning dew that covered the grass along the path and on the rice field embankments made my body tremble from the cold. But I kept walking until I arrived at the vast rice fields.

Birds were seen flying south, I started to step on both feet and level the ground in the rice fields, it looked quiet, no other farmers were seen in the rice fields, but I continued to finish my task so that I could return home before the sun started to get hot.

I immediately ate the packed rice and tea that my mother had prepared, I sat on the rice field embankment while enjoying the fresh morning air, how beautiful is Your creation, God "I said in my heart".

I returned to work with enthusiasm because as a form of gratitude to my parents who had sent me to school until I graduated with my diploma, I was happy because the next day there would be a graduation ceremony at one of the hotels in the city where I studied.

Suddenly I felt dizzy, I felt the wind starting to blow hard and the coconut trees in the residents' gardens swayed hard. I asked myself "Is my blood pressure dropping because of lack of sleep?", I rubbed my face with both hands and looked at the swaying trees.

I had to rest for a moment, I immediately approached the rice field embankment and put my butt on the grass filled with morning dew.

I heard from a distance the roar of strong waves and screams from a distance, I couldn't hear it clearly. Suddenly my brother came and said "dedy... dedy... let's go home... the sea water has overflowed and the earthquake has shaken strongly".

I was confused, then I asked "Earthquake? Where is the earthquake and when did the seawater overflow?". I was not sure about what my brother said, because previously I had not felt an earthquake, let alone overflowing seawater. Something that was impossible for me to believe.

But I obeyed my brother's words and immediately returned home with the mud from the rice fields sticking to my knees.

Arriving at the village road, I began to believe what my brother said, the residents were busy along the road. I asked one of the road users "Sir, what happened? I heard that the seawater started to overflow? Is that true?", the middle-aged man hurriedly answered, "Yes, son, immediately return home, prepare your needs to evacuate".

Hearing that answer, I ran towards the house, when I got there everyone seemed to be outside the house, and my mother asked "Why didn't you go home immediately when the earthquake happened? Try looking towards the sea, the seawater started to enter the village, and the residents' rice fields started to be flooded with salt water", "Dedy didn't feel anything while in the rice fields, he only saw the trees swaying and the wind blowing hard, nothing else."

I immediately went to the bathroom and cleaned myself, then prepared some clothes if I was advised to evacuate. Disaster response volunteers also came towards the ocean, he said the village right on the coast had been hit by waves as high as 20 meters.

One by one the ambulances carried bodies and Army and police cars were used to evacuate survivors to the Sub-district Hall in the sub-district capital. The electricity was out, the internet network was also out, and no information was obtained, only through Handy Talkies could they update disaster information throughout the North and South coasts of Aceh.

"Hana le aneuk lon... Hana le Aneuk lon..."(Local language) My son is gone... my son is gone... heard a mother screaming hysterically while carrying her dead baby. I could not hold back my sadness seeing her condition, on the other hand, the bodies began to be transported using an ambulance to the mosque to be buried.

Night began to fall, the residents were evacuated to the soccer field, where refugee tents had been built filling the soccer field, in the darkness the evacuation team continued to work and explore the mud and debris of buildings destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami. hundreds of bodies in the Syamtalira Bayu sub-district were immediately laid to rest.

Although the public had been advised not to return home, because my parents' house and other families were not affected by this disaster, I returned home to be on guard. I and the other family could only sit and stand in the yard in conditions without light, even the moon was reluctant to show its form. no one dared to enter the house for fear of aftershocks.

The next day, the news was heard that most of the settlements in the coastal areas had been destroyed by the tsunami, starting from East Aceh, North Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Bireuen, Pidie Jaya, Pidie, Aceh Besar, Banda Aceh, Aceh Jaya, West Aceh, South Aceh, Southwest Aceh and Simeulu were the districts affected by the disaster.

Aceh Besar and Aceh Jaya were the two worst-hit districts, with an estimated total of 170,000 fatalities.

December 26, 2004, has passed, and the devastating disaster has changed the paradigm of society and living in harmony after decades of armed conflict demanding independence. Hopefully, this will be a valuable experience for me and for the people of Aceh about Disaster Mitigation.