FRONT LINES: 2004 Earthquake & Tsunami in Indonesia
Posted by Mike Reddington
on Apr 02, 2016
Frontline Disaster Experience
On December 26, 2004 a magnitude 9.0 subduction earthquake occurred off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Within minutes a tsunami - actually a series of waves - roared across the Indian Ocean to reek havoc up to 2500 kilometers away. Within hours some 240,000 people would die from the tsunami.
The town of Banda Aceh was located on the alluvial plain at the northern tip of the Island of Sumatra. Within 20 minutes of the quake the first wave struck the town with an estimated height of 80 feet, followed by many more waves. Ninety percent of the town was swept away.
Within days, Russ Froese was on a plane headed for Banda Aceh, contracted by the Canadian Red Cross to act as the Communications Director for the organization for their relief and recovery efforts. Russ spent 4 months working in the chaotic aftermath of the disaster before returning home to South Surrey.