Karena Perronet-Miller

A wave like no other  7 of 59 / View all

Like many people I watched the 2004 Tsunami unfold on the TV. Destruction and immeasurable suffering was served up blow by blow with every news bulletin throughout the day. In hours, life for many had swerved off course in an irrevocable direction of horror.

I arrived four weeks later in a coastal region of Tamil Nadu, the area of south India hardest hit by the tsunami. It seemed absurd that just weeks earlier this had been a paradise destination, such was the extent of the damage.

My first impression was a total lack of any sensation, a sort of blank space in my thoughts, as I tried to assimilate the unbelievable scale of the devastation. I had hired a small motorbike so I was able to go off road and explore the endless ruined coastline. The ‘wipeout’ extended to every horizon and went on for hours. I rode around in disbelief.

The clear blue winter sky seemed to spread such profound sadness above the crushed landscape. I will never forget the quiet dignity, courage and kindness of all those displaced fishing people as they collected their lifetime belongings, often in a single plastic bag.

I revisited this fishing community every three months for over a year and watched them rebuild their lives. Every story was truly inspiring and left a lasting impression of hope and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.

* I would sincerely like to thank the late Gerard Arnhold and my friends for their generosity.