Java Tsunami 2006 Appeal - page 4

08 Aug 2006

For those first few days, a heavy sombre feeling hung over the village, but it was to be shortlived as the positive, happy-go-lucky nature of the locals would soon re-emerge.  A hand painted sign at one of the makeshift refugee camps summed it up:

"JANGAN MENANGIS INDONESIA, KAMI MASIH BISA BERSENYUM"
DO NOT CRY INDONESIA, WE CAN STILL SMILE

The lighter side of the event began to slide into focus as stories were told with all the warmth and laughter that anyone who has visited this special place would immediately recognise.  Stories were told of naked people shimmying up palm trees; a baby in perfect health found on the beach a day after the water had subsided (she was duly named "Sara Tsunami", which roughly translates as "gift of the tsunami"); Budi and Gusnis heroic tale of surfing the actual tsunami waves; Doyoks not so heroic tale of sleeping through the whole thing only to wake to think he was the sole survivor of the apocalypse!

One particular story of survival deserves special mention.  A bunch of local surfers had taken a fishing boat to surf a secret spot at a nearby island and were on their way home when the tsunami struck.  The first tsunami wave overturned their boat, shattering it to pieces and scattering everyone into the ocean.  The second wave, in their words, literally "blocked out the sun" with its sheer size and volume of water.  They were left floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean with land a distant blur on the horizon.  With only 3 surfboards left amongst the 9 in the group, it was decided that 2 of them would paddle to shore to raise the alarm.  After the sun had set 2 hours later, no help had arrived so the 7 remaining in the group just drifted helplessly with the currents.  Ano - a local diver, surfer, lifeguard and all-round waterman - had taken charge of the group and when no help had arrived another 2 hours later he decided that he and another guy would attempt to get to shore to find help.  Ano offered his mate the only remaining surfboard while Ano himself used the boats petrol container to paddle to shore!  After 6 hours paddling through the black of night, they arrived at Pangandaran beach at 2am to find their hometown deserted.  They walked for kilometres to an inland Police Station and managed to summon a navy helicopter to search for any survivors.  The 5 people left floating in the ocean would later tell of how the helicopter flew straight over them several times but their frantic cries for help proved in vain.  Their hopes of survival faded with the chopper lights disappearing into the distance.  At 6am the following morning - a full 14 hours after their boat was destroyed - a fishing boat spotted them and took them back to the unrecognizable shores of Pangandaran.  They were exhausted, in shock, and traumatised, but they had survived and their story surely has to be one of the most amazing tales of survival to come out of the many.  Ano has been touted a local hero, but remains the humble waterman he has always been.