Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[wakingdream]

Today is the anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami

Next to gentle seas, survivors, friends and family remembered the fury of the Indian Ocean tsunami that swept away more than 200,000 people in 12 countries one year ago Monday and laid waste to entire communities in one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

On Thailand’s Patong beach, a man wept in the sand before calm waters, a bouquet of white roses in front of him. He was among hundreds of Westerner survivors, relatives and friends of the dead who came the beachfront where their loved ones disappeared.

I know ScottWoz is in Thailand now. What's the feeling like out there today?

My husband and I were in southern Thailand when the tsunami hit, extremely close to the thick of it all and extremely lucky to have been safe, high up on a cliff when it struck.

The aftermath was something I will never, ever forget. Each year I think of those who lost family and friends. Those who looked for loved ones for so long and with so much hope. I remember the photos along streets in Bangkok, stretching for miles, pleaing to others who might have seen a missing person. It was truly heartbreaking and such an incredible reminder of the sheer strength of nature.

What were some of your initial reactions when you first heard of the tsunami?

[starlagurl]

I didn't really realize the enormity of it until I attended a ceremony in Ottawa. I was covering it for the local newspaper and it seemed like "just another natural disaster" to me until I actually met all kinds of people who were directly affected.