Today we're hosting members of the Tsunami Recovery Program, who will be presenting their stories and experiences at tonight’s community-wide commemoration of the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster.

One of our guests is Syarifah Marlina Al Mazhir (Ipah), deputy head of Red Cross programs in Indonesia, who is visiting Seattle for the first time to tell her story and the stories of her neighbors.

In December 2004, Ipah lived 1500 feet from the ocean in the city of Banda Aceh, on the island of Sumatra. On December 26, she and her family drove two hours away to visit her mother. That trip probably saved their lives, because they were far from the waves when the 9.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the island. Ipah remembers the panic and screaming, but the destruction around her was nothing compared to what was happening at home. Banda Aceh was the closest major city to the quake’s epicenter, and one of the first to be hit by the massive tsunami wave that devastated the area.

Ipah heard rumors that her neighborhood was “gone,” but didn’t think it could be that bad. The area had suffered earthquakes before, and always recovered. But when she and her husband tried to travel the next day, the roads were impassable. Seven months pregnant, Ipah stayed in the car while her husband walked through water and debris to check on their things. When he came back, he told her “there is nothing left.” The house, and everything in it, was gone. “It was totally outside of my expectations,” she remembers.

“Is this the end of the world?” Ipah remembers asking herself, as she stood in an area that used to be filled with houses and neighbors. All she could see were bodies and debris.

Although her pregnancy made it difficult, Ipah went to work immediately. Without a home to go to, she lived in the office of a non-governmental organization and worked around the clock on the recovery effort. For weeks, and then months, and now years, she has arranged acted as a liaison for local communities and outside organizations. She has seen first-hand the changes that have happened, and the ways that neighbors helped each other rebuild after one of the most devastating disasters of modern history.

“I’m excited about tonight,” she says, looking at the photos that will be on display. “This is the chance for people to see the stories of what their generous contributions did. Aceh has been able to recover because of their help.”

There are still seats available at tonight’s event. Doors open at Town Hall Seattle (8th Ave and Seneca St) at 6:30pm, and the program begins at 7:30.

For more information or to RSVP, please visit the Tsunami event page or visit our Event page on Facebook.

At a time when disasters are increasing in size and number around the world, it’s important to understand disaster relief and risk reduction efforts, and how this global tragedy affected the ways that we prepare and respond today.