One of the best parts of my work with GeoTenerife in the Canary Islands is working with students.
Janine Krippner
One who stood out immediately was Leah Gomm from the United Kingdom. Her bubbly personality made an impression right away, and it didn’t take long for me to learn of her passion for tsunamis, particularly the catastrophic 2004 Boxing Day event.
Earlier this year, Leah visited Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, and spoke to locals about their experiences, firing up her enthusiasm for helping people. This was the area where the tsunami collided with the ‘Queen of the Sea’ train, claiming more than 1000 lives.
While we name it the ‘Boxing Day Tsunami’, the Buddhist community were preparing to celebrate ‘Poya (full moon) Day’, a national holiday. Children are commonly sent to inland temples. That resulted in many lives being saved that day; however, many were also orphaned. While they were practicing their religion in the morning, the waves were sweeping away their homes and families.
Leah shared her story of meeting a tuk-tuk driver who had tragically lost his grandparents, mother, little sister, and his home. He took Leah to significant sites, including an 18.5-meter-high Buddha statue that marks the height of one of the tsunami waves. Leah reflected, “You’re an ant in comparison to the height of these waves.” After the emotional journey, Leah attempted to tip the tuk-tuk driver, but he refused, saying, “We want humanity, not money.” He expressed his hope for people to unite and learn about nature’s overwhelming forces.
One woman shared the thought: “Tsunami waves don’t discriminate. It should be people with people”. She was devastated that they had gone through this horror, and people are still at war around the world. That “Mother Nature should be the only one to determine our fate, not humans.”
Leah visited a memorial museum in what was the devastation zone. Leah passed by shipwrecks in the area, standing as a grim reminder. The museum, run by a local man who was swept nearly 900 meters inland during the tsunami, holds a powerful history. The owner shared that 99 per cent of the population died that day.
Each of the locals conveyed a unified message: their desire to see the human race come together.
While early warning systems are now in place, Leah learned that many of them are not functioning. This is one of the heartbreaking realities of disasters: tough lessons are learned, then forgotten. Important changes need to stay active and ready to save lives when the next disaster strikes. Leah’s biggest takeaway was clear: “The discussion needs to keep happening, or we will relive the same disasters through history.”
For Leah, the experience was dark and deeply impactful. It’s clearly shaped her view of the world and her future career path. This life-changing experience will stay with her, and it’s easy to see why.
Please, if you ever see strange ocean behaviour, like a sudden rise in fall in sea level, or if you hear loud or unusual sounds from the sea, evacuate. If an earthquake near the coast is Long or Strong, Get Gone.
