20 Years Later, New Documentary Looks at Deadliest Tsunami in History | Amanpour and Company

[@Ozvideo1959]

Thank you, PBS, for the documentary. That's why non-commercial broadcasters are important. They try to inform, rather than try to generate revenue.

[@RaymondHng]

This interview is on PBS. The documentary series, however, is on the National Geographic channel and Disney+, two platforms that are revenue generators for Disney Entertainment.

[@Ozvideo1959]

@@RaymondHng Fair enough. But I still believe public not for profit broadcasters are important. Here in Australia, we have the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) who have some very good programming. I don't like the idea of corporations having any say in what we are allowed to see, and the media bias that is a result.

[@Pou1gie1]

@ozvideo There are problems with PBS as well. They are dependent on wealthy donors . This is why PBS actively hid information about Ben Afleck when he requested they do so. I interned for them, and I can tell you that was not a one off. They hide information researchers discover for their wealthy patrons!

[@Pou1gie1]

PB$ is compromised as well. I interned there and witnessed hiding researcher info because it would interfere with donor funds. Look at how they hid the information they discovered about Ben Affleck when he requested…

[@RaymondHng]

@@Ozvideo1959 I just watched the first episode of the documentary series on the National Geographic channel and was forced to watch five commercial breaks with five ad spots in each break. This is definitely commercial television. National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Entertainment and National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%), with the operational management handled by Disney Entertainment.

[@nicolarollinson4381]

My friend from Sumatera was only 11 at that time. His mom had just had a cataract op, so he put her on the back of the motorbike and drove to safety. His sister's house was completely destroyed but, thank God she at work when the tsunami struck. My friend said it was terrifying to watch from higher ground

[@brigitte1215]

Wow. A quarter of a million people died from that event. That's 250,000 souls, gone. That's astounding.

[@oliveoil5789]

I remember the devastation, but I didn’t realize that many people were killed.

[@rudymazar5266]

It is good to educate the younger generations about the extent of the tragedy.

[@malegi29]

227,898 to be exact. It was that severe because of people’s unawareness of tsunamis at the time and because it made land in 8 surrounding countries.

[@kimdavidb]

​@@malegi29 i remember a particular beach in Phuket experienced weeks/months of uneasiness smell because of the foul odor from the bodies that were shattered almost everywhere in that area.

[@TimoDyer]

​@@malegi29 unable to be exact. Bandah Aceh region lost entire villages with the city.

[@xzyeee]

Wow...I can't believe it's approaching 20 years already.

[@Feg1989]

It doesn't seem like that at all

[@soniaalvarado5372]

Thank you for making this film and educating all of us who live so far away from these affected communities.

[@mnm25479]

Damn, that's a coincidence. Just yesterday, my mom and I were discussing this tsunami and its impact on our country.

[@n.e.c.6389]

I spent 2 weeks vacationing at Karon Beach on Phuket Island back in Oct. 1999. When the tsunami hit I remember thinking OMG the whole of Karon Beach town was right at sea level. I stayed in a 2nd floor hotel room not 100 yards from the ocean. If that had happened while I was there the whole building could have likely been under water. Those poor poor people never stood a chance.

[@thenamesabc743]

Most of the world got educated about the occurrence of a tsunami through this tragedy, and it was such a rude awakening for 12 year old me, much higher up on India's east coast when this disaster happened. I've been to different parts of coastal Tamil Nadu since, many parts of which still bear the signs of the highest waves to hit them...... So glad that NatGeo went full throttle to show us how crazy things were for anyone and everyone involved

[@SaintLouiegal2010]

I’ve watched many, many documentaries & footage about the tsunami of Boxing Day in 2004. I’ll never forget…the sheer magnitude & energy to affect 14 countries is astounding to me so many lives lost… it keeps me grounded and grateful for what I have and still alive on this earth. Mother Nature can take us all out without warning any day best to be prepared when or if we can. Also notably mentioning the tsunami in Japan 2011. I know the signs to look for from watching these. Rest in peace for all who perished and the families/friends lost. 🕊️

[@NinjaOrchids]

It was the most tragic Christmas for millions affected. I will never forget the actual day, then weeks and months that followed. I am so thankful to those involved in making the documentary happen AND for the fact that the interviewer did not cut his guests off while they talked. My prayers are still with all that are affected by this horrible tragic force and f nature. 🙏🏼

[@dukeon]

I got married in Thailand in 1998, in Chiang Mai in the north. Then we took our honeymoon down the long peninsula south, to Krabi, Phuket, and finally to Ko Phi Phi island. We stayed in a little hut right on the strand of beach that trailed away from the small town. We had a great time. Six and a half years later, the entire area where we had stayed for about five nights was completely wiped out. The little huts were gone, the little village and its residents were gone, the friendly town dogs we got to know were surely gone. All of it. It’s almost too much to process 😔

[@skis_injeans]

I'm American. When this happened, an evangelical Christian pastor here said that this was a good thing because the children that died in these non Christian areas won't be condemned to hell because they were too young to accept Jesus. That's the sort of hog we deal with here

[@ianchandley]

I remember that @ssh#le saying that!

[@prince_yt3406]

Oh no! You’ll live.

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

I've heard the same shit

[@hinthegroove9740]

I wonder what they’ll say when it happens here

[@edbouhl3100]

@@hinthegroove9740They will find a scapegoat.

[@gloriaf6971]

A tsunami is really a very dangerous and treacherous event. I can't imagine anything scarier! Drowning has to be one of the worst ways to die.

[@mw9537]

I have seen this documentary, it is so intense as if it just happened today. Amazing documentary with amazing stories of survival, courage and sheer determinstion to live and not die on that day. So many lives lost, so many tragic stories....❤😢

[@bcatblues725]

Both tsunami’s were huge and devastating. But I had a much much harder time watching the one that came in to Indonesia. You just saw people everywhere getting wiped out and it was so heartbreaking. 🙏🏼

[@scottwilliams4455]

Seems like just yesterday... my wife is from the island of Simeulue which was the epicenter of this EQ. I was in Khao Lak driving from Ranong to Phuket. I couldn't get back to Simeulue for a long time mostly because the following March there was another massive EQ under the Banyak Islands.. Not many talk about the March EQ

[@limlianhui9462]

It was very sad, whole extended families wiped out in the worst hit areas of Indonesia and Thailand, the day after Christmas. Many in Aceh were never found, the water went up to 4 storeys tall and carried everyone and everything away. And many ended up being millionaires as the only survivors of their families-but they would rather have their families alive and living happily with them not have all that wealth.

[@Truthseeker371]

Watch the Japan Earthquake 2011 documentaries.

[@elizabetheaton3882]

Very interesting. I remember so vividly when this awful disaster happened and how terribly saddened I was for all the people affected. I'm glad to hear that the scientific benefits gained from the experience will be helpful in the future to save lives.

[@elaineteut1249]

This was really well done. To this day, this and the 2011 tsunami in Japan is heartbreaking. Just it a matter of a day, over 250,000 people are killed. It’s just hard to comprehend.

[@SK-fj7ws]

One of the ways to get over trauma ( especially after counselling) is not think about it, not talk about it especially after after 20 years. Learn the lesson, be prepared BUT MOVE ON. So that its out of your system !!!!

[@nazrimansor1112]

When nature shows its wrath we can only watch in awe...nearly 300,000 souls were lost in 14 countries. Remarkable and tragic

[@rodfer5406]

Excellent

[@eringemini7091]

What is so scary about areas like Thailand is that Survivors ran for the hills & elected to spend the night there. After escaping the Tsunami thinking they were safe in the Hills, several people lost their lives that night after being bitten by Cobras while asleep.😔

[@that.ll_do_pig]

😮

[@patriciajones6771]

I never heard that, and I believe I watched every Documentary about that, that and 911 those two incidents really had me fascinated, I even saw videos of the people whose lives were saved by being in the hills, and no one mentioned COBRAS, that sounds like a FANTASY TALE TO ME.

[@Feg1989]

I highly doubt that

[@twitteringothers5059]

@@patriciajones6771 Yup, never heard of that. In most likelihood snakes and other wild animals would dispersed when crowds of people were coming up the hills. They were already doing that BEFORE the tsunami with elephants running up the hills.

[@conradsieber7883]

First person narratives of trauma survivors are important ways to further our understanding of how survivors manage in the aftermath of tragedy...

[@vangroover1903]

The pity farmer aspect of these stories is the engine, of course, but it would also be nice to hear from those that celebrate their survival, especially the ones that showed the strength to save themselves at any cost and not fall prey to doomed, impotent heroics. We can learn more important lessons from them than from the hand wringers.

[@criticaloptimist]

It’s things like our tsunami warning system and their work to develop systems with other countries is what makes me feel the most patriotic. I dropped what I was doing to watch this series, and I just want to tell these scientists how proud I am of them and their work.

[@edbouhl3100]

Pity the Trump Administration is totally trying to destroy experts like these. Don’t count on America next time.

[@boymama612]

Amazing documentary!! I watched it as soon as it was released. Extremely well done & put together. & so many amazing stories 🙏🏼

[@thealanford4780]

This was a very informative documentary. The story of the child and his father surviving is insane but a true miracle. Such devastation and loss of life.

[@twitteringothers5059]

The Sri Lankan government at that time was woefully incompetent. They were told about one hour beforehand that the tsunami was approaching. The reason the Sri Lankan government gave for not doing anything was that there was no tsunami alert system in place. Goodness ! They could have directed the the country's tv and radio stations to give out the alerts. They could have contacted local police in each coastal districts to warn as many people as possible. The President could have gone on TV to warn people but they chose to do nothing. They could have activated military helicopters to fly around the coastal areas with warnings. Many of those who died in Sri Lanka that day was due to them having an unbelievably nonchalant government.

[@timmillan6701]

This catastrophic event affected me deeply. It was the first time I ever made a significant donation to any disaster relief effort

[@TheMarychinoCherry]

National geographic documentaries about certain days are really moving.... Both this one and One day in America, were really well put together but so very heartbreaking.

[@samuelestigoy4219]

God Bless Us ❤

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

Shit it doesnt seem like almost 20 years.

[@ellenba5775]

Great documentary!

[@2nd_of_3]

What that should have taught the United States is that the West Coast is WOEFULLY unprepared. We, as a nation.. have on idea of what is to come.

[@bajbah242]

Wow!! 2 Decades already?!! 😪😪

[@wenderis]

I remember a week after it happened, when the eyes (and resources) of the world (west) is directed towards Thailand (because of the western tourist), the leaders of ASEAN countries got together in Jakarta and all pledged to a more directed and targeted responses to five countries, including non-ASEAN countries like India and Sri Lanka. Years later, reflecting on it and reading from different accounts I found out that this kind of solidarity leadership is integral to any disaster relief, because during the first week there isn't any clear direction, everything was so sporadic and chaotic, plus all NGO's, foreign countries, intl organizations, have their own organizational ego. Thailand only wanted to help Thai, Indonesia only wanted to help Acehnese, churches only wanted to help christians, western countries incl Australia only focusing on their tourist destinations, and so on.

[@Shane2534-u7n]

It doesn’t make sense for Thailand or Indonesia to help each other when both country was in disaster. Western look toward Thailand because their own citizens was in Thailand it is normal thing to do. Why blame Thailand ? Blaming your own government

[@bangqoqod]

it's great to see this, we need to spread the knowledge out on to the globe, 20 years ago, we are in Aceh have no idea what is the tsunami and how this threaten people in shoreline

[@anniebieber19]

Saw this documentary, its amazing.😢

[@michaelboguski4743]

Ours is an Oceans World, an atmosphere for Life; but so too such catastrophe occurs.

[@manishgurav2369]

just thinking about it makes me Shiver

[@DaBears08]

The numbers are just so staggering. I wonder what Banda Aceh saw that day.

[@tammiea8552]

Where can we watch this??

[@ElioOliver99]

I saw the 4 episodes, heartbreaking 😢.

[@gallardoo9]

Ive been through Tsunami's and earthquakes for decades...and know what to do, these native people had no idea and even if they did have a warning they didnt know what to do, its education people the governments have to educate people the tourists should have known better though...and it will happen again and has...

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

Why should the tourists know, some came from countries that are landlocked, so how are they meant to know. In Europe where going to Bali etc is such a big thing, there is very little chance of ever having this situation, so they know nothing of it once again.

[@creativesource3514]

If you know what to do then spend yiur life educating governments. Dont wasting your time telling strangers on youtube about your knowledge. Honestly nobody cares.

[@howardloewen1834]

I was living in Hawaii at that time. December 26, 2004, maybe it was December 20?

[@jld4870]

Thank you for the interview, thank you for cataloging and educating others. The scientist-forgive me don’t have his name- looks very tired. Difficult career choice-I just pray he knows it’s not or his colleagues fault for so many casualties.

[@JacobMoretti-NotABot]

I wonder if all the videos of the 2004 tsunami helped save folks affected by the Japanese one in 2011.

[@SparkyOne549]

It didn’t help 250,000 people.

[@patriciajones6771]

The problem was at the time, there were no TSUNAMI warnings for the INDIAN OCEAN, that was the sad thing about that disaster, they did not know it was coming, JAPAN is a lot more PREPARED, they lose Buildings not people. You can't prevent the destruction, but the warnings save lives.

[@oliveoil5789]

I remember when this happened. It he beautiful model that was injured badly and her fiancée lost his life.

[@mikeyd946]

Terrifying 😢

[@ishagshafeeg]

The day our friend, the ocean, turn into a monster against us.

[@chrisclarke7828]

This was the first time in peoples lives they heard the word Tsunami and from that day if someone pisses in a bucket of water there is a Tsunami warning.

[@twitteringothers5059]

I hate thinking that the old lady at @2:38 most probably didn't make it.

[@shirl974]

So scary

[@felicitywillboughby6901]

Pachamama please have mercy, 🙏🙏

[@malegi29]

It was a 9.1 magnitude, not 8.5. Get your facts straight.

[@Feg1989]

Correct

[@Copawany7171]

The initial magnitude was the lower number. That isn’t uncommon for them to be adjusted as time goes on. No need to be nasty.

[@lbunnygordon1133]

They never show you much of poor who if orphaned still struggle today and what may have happened to children who were taken away by traffickers... so hard to watch it all...

[@SaidOsman-x5t]

Be aware of north west America.

[@JasmineUniverse-f8t]

Be blessed by Buddhas, Universal Gods,All Religions Gods, Jew Gods, Jesus Christ and Allahs for Indonesia! No more disasters!

[@GuyT-z7o]

Only the worst In recorded history I suspect

[@dboyette42]

Wasn't the earth shaking warning people of the danger coming. The earth was telling people to run but they ignored her. too bad.

[@ae-Michael]

Back then, there was no tsunami warning. There are some videos where the people are not aware about tsunami like this person 0:34

[@walkerpantera]

This interview was okay I guess, I skipped through most of it, TOO much chatter and not enough film footage, that poor couple the guy tried to save was the only "unseen" footage and that was very compelling to watch, wow, those poor people. KZbin has TONS of film footage posted by the thousands of people who were actually there. This documentary would bore me if it's just these guys talking and a few clips of footage. I'm more interested in the visual film footage than 2 film producers talking about it. And I'm not paying for tv so I won't see it on NGeo or Disney+ channels. I can wait for it to appear somewhere free. It IS hard to believe that was 20 years ago, wow.

[@LeeWard-j9t]

Climate change and Australians getting their rocks off that Australians now under investigation of all the children they created back then??? we all go through trauma

[@LeeWard-j9t]

At the end of the day mother nature at its best and the strains that were there on a holiday feel sorry for them but why are we going over there?

[@julienrockingham-ip4co]

Rich people problems, they can afford to live there like that

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

What do you mean, who is rich? The locals? They are not rich they have no money.

[@SparkyOne549]

No one is rich there. A lot of people were vacationers. The locals are poor.

[@thecrispeoutdoors3721]

Wow sounds like you know about zero things

[@AliceHLin-l7j]

Aceh was a region with no Jesus Christ presence. When people wanted to adopt poor orphans, the moslem forbide. People of God have to help this area

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

They have their own God, why should they bow down to one religion that has never done anything to help their country, just because suddenly some white people want to adopt some kids. If you want to help, let them stay where they know people with what they know, instead of increasing their trauma by ripping them away from everything they know & changing everything about them. Give them a huge donation, see what they need then provide that.

[@LeeWard-j9t]

And how much money are you making right now? That could be going to people that need it with social media? Get rid of it go back to the old ways pen and paper??? it’s not rocket science???

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

Says the guy on some sort of device. How do you know they are not donating money to them?

[@kimdavidb]

The news anchor is so beautiful! Who is she? 🫶🏻