On December 26 five years ago, an undersea megathrust earthquake with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia struck, resulting in the Asian Tsunami 2004.
Nearly 230,000 people perished in eleven countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high.
It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were the hardest hit.
With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph and caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm (0.4 inches) and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.
The plight of the many affected people and countries prompted a widespread humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $7 billion (2004 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid.
Child’s story five years after Asian Tsunami
It is five years since the Indian Ocean tsunami struck. Thulaashi Suppiah was just twenty-two days old when the Tsunami swept into her parents beach cafe in Penang, an island in north-west Malaysia. She’s recently celebrated her fifth birthday. Here is her story in her own words.
Lessons from the tsunami
Five years after the most devastating disaster in modern history, most survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami have managed to pick up their lives.
The giant wave swept away loved ones, homes, livelihoods and in some cases entire communities.
In this special report from two of the worst-hit areas – Sri Lanka and the Indonesian province of Aceh – Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen reports on some of the lessons learned in the wake of the disaster.
Tsunami’s political impact
The two countries worst hit by the most devastating disaster in modern history have followed very different political paths.
Indonesia chose a peace deal to end a 30-year old conflict in Aceh, while Sri Lanka opted to step up its military campaign against the Tamil Tiger separatists.
As Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen finds, the decisions had a crucial impact on the recovery and healing process for those caught up in the tsunami.
