The tsunami shocked the world with the violence of its destructive power. From the rubble of its aftermath, new life is slowly re-emerging. However, those who were directly affected by the disaster will never forget it. The rest of the world must never forget it, either.
The tsunami was one of the worst natural disasters in modern memory. Hitting the day after Christmas, it all but wiped out coastal settlements in nearly every country with a border on the Ocean. More than 200,000 people were either killed or went missing, and even more than that became homeless as a result of the tsunami. The fact that it hit without warning only served to increase the destruction it wrought.
The countries affected by the tsunami had little advance warning that disaster was approaching. The people who were caught up in its devastating force had no time to prepare or flee. Most who experienced the tsunami first-hand were caught by surprise. They had no reason to think they were in danger.