2004 Tsunami-Seychelles remembers |27 December 2006
The commemoration of this sad event was in the form of an exhibition put up at the Natural History Museum by the Ministry of the Arts, Culture & Sports.
It was the Minister for The Arts, Culture and Sports, Sylvette Pool, who officially opened the exhibition by pressing the play button on a remote control to allow guests to view footage of the tsunami broadcast on SBC. The footage filmed by SBC and some private individuals also form part of this exhibition.
Other guests present at the opening ceremony included the Speaker of the National Assembly, Francis MacGregor; the Minister for Community Development & Youth, Vincent Meriton; among others.
In his speech for the occasion, before he called on Minister Pool to officially open the exhibition, the ministry’s principal secretary Denis Rose noted that significant events in the history of a nation, albeit joyful or sad, have to be recorded, remembered and commemorated.
Describing at length the December 26, 2004 event, PS Rose recalled that the tsunami, which was caused by an underwater earthquake off Indonesia the night before, traveled thousands of kilometres to affect Indian Ocean islands as far away as Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. Countries closest to the earthquake’s epicentre including Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka got the brunt of it, killing thousands of people.
“In Seychelles, the waves measuring up to four (4) meters high, caused sea water surges that flooded the low lying areas of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and caused widespread damage to beaches, coastal vegetation, roads, bridges, houses and other infrastructure. The flooding lasted several hours,” PS Rose recounted.
PS Rose said that although the phenomenon took the country by surprise, the government, concerned about the welfare of the population, kept a close tab on the situation after hearing the news, going into action even before the first wave arrived.
He mentioned the emergency committee set up by President James Michel to direct rescue operations, take stock of the situation, and advise the population accordingly as to their safety.
Noting that three people lost their lives in Seychelles in the events surrounding the 2004 tsunami and extreme weather that followed, PS Rose said that damage to property and infrastructure was calculated at around US $ 30 million.
“Scars of the 2004 tsunami are still visible today, the most noticeable one being the Cascade bridge which is still under reconstruction,” PS Rose remarked.
PS Rose said it is also worth remembering that casualties in Seychelles were minimized, thanks to the quick response of the government, the resilience of the Seychellois people in the face of danger, and volunteers from all walks of life who assisted families affected.
“We must also not forget the international organizations and private individuals locally who contributed financially in the reconstruction process after the tsunami,” the PS said.
He also noted that the emergency committee set up by President Michel for the tsunami has now evolved into a permanent National Disaster Secretariat and its role is to sensitize the public at large, on safety measures to be taken in the event of any disaster.
Also speaking at the ceremony yesterday, the director general for Cultural Institutions and Policy Planning, Raymonde Onezime, who was acting as emcee, noted that while our islands have remained relatively untouched by natural climatic phenomena in the past, the 2004 event has made it obviously plain that our country is no longer isolated from such calamities.
PS Rose said that the exhibition will later travel to the districts for the benefit of the community and schoolchildren.
"After touring the districts, it will remain as a permanent feature in the Natural History Museum, and hopefully will stimulate the interest of the public, to learn more about this natural phenomenon, and the precautions which need to be taken in the event of another such disaster," PS Rose said.