Noah's Ark Gift Shop
Noah's Ark Gift Shop - When the tsunami hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia 10 years ago, the Basia family was trapped on the top floor of their house - the water was up to their necks and rising rapidly. But they are miraculously saved when the boat lands on the roof.
Source: i.etsystatic.com
Noah's Ark Gift Shop
Among the red roofs of newly built houses in the village of Lampulo is a remarkable sight: a huge fishing boat on top of two houses. The 25-meter-long wooden boat has become a popular attraction on the tsunami tourist trail. Signs point to Kapal di Atas Rumah, meaning boat above the house - and a plaque describes how the ark instantly saved 59 lives.
One of them is Fauzia Basriah, a local businessman. "If it wasn't for that boat, we would all have drowned because none of us knew how to swim," he says, Basaria still shedding tears when he remembers that terrible day. "Soon after the earthquake, people started shouting that sea water was coming in. We were confused, but then we saw that water was coming in," he says.
No one understood what was happening - the tsunami was unlike anything they had ever experienced before. "I thought it was doomsday," Basriah said. Her husband took the motorcycle shopping, so she grabbed her five children and started running. They could not escape the rapidly rising water, so he began to seek shelter on higher ground.
Required Cookies & Technologies
The earthquake destroyed many of the buildings on their street, but they found a house still standing and the six of them ran inside and climbed to the second floor - but soon realized it wasn't high enough. "It was less than a minute before the water reached us," Basriah said.
Source: cdn.shoplightspeed.com
The first wave was very black - we didn't know if it was oil or water." Soon a second, even bigger wave came. Until then, the family was stuck. "We were floating with our heads touching the ceiling - the water was rising around our necks. I thought we were going to drown," Basriah said.
Then through the window they saw a strange sight - a large fishing boat bearing down on them. "People were screaming," she says. "But then it got stuck on top of the house and stopped." Her 14-year-old son managed to make a small hole in the roof and climbed onto the roof.
He pulled out one family at a time and they all boarded the boat. Others joined them. "When I got on the boat, I just prayed and prayed," Basria said "Thank God the boat saved us, but the boat wasn't that stable because it was full of water, so we just held on."
Personalized Advertising
They watched helplessly as the buildings around them collapsed, with people still inside. "There was nothing we could do," says Basriah, wiping away tears. "Although 10 years after the tsunami, when I talk about it, it feels like it happened yesterday. I feel very sad - I will never forget it."
When the waters receded, Basaria and her children went to live in Beurawe, a village further inland, but continued to return to Lampulo in search of their missing loved ones. "I didn't know where my husband was. And neither did my parents - they were running away, but they were old and I knew it would be difficult for them to escape."
Source: cdn2.1800flowers.com
He couldn't find them. Widow Basriah suddenly has five children to support. While living in a temporary shelter, aid agencies taught her new skills - how to raise fish, how to sew and how to make cakes. So he came up with the idea of selling dried tuna snacks.
A year after the tsunami, Basriah started a fish business with a loan of 500,000 rupees ($40) - now back in Lampulo where he supports his family and employs some of the village women. Outside her house, a few doors down from the boat, women pack dried fish fried in garlic and onions.
Thank You!
The snacks are called "Tsunami Dried Tuna" and have a picture of a boat on the label "We saved ourselves in a boat. We want to remember that," she says. About 15 fishing boats were reportedly stranded on the roof of Lampula after the tsunami, but others have now been removed.
Zulfikar, the owner of this boat, agreed to leave it as a souvenir even though he had recently repaired it and hoped to go fishing on the day of the tsunami. Today, the boat is revered as a kind of Noah's Ark, but also as a daily reminder of what happened.
Every boat is trying to take advantage of being here," Basriah said. "Everyone has a different story about how the boat saved them. People even make up stories." Apart from attracting tourists, the memorials in Banda Aceh also have an educational role. Before 2004, few people knew what a tsunami was, so when the sea water receded before the wave came, people ran for fish left on the sand instead of fleeing to higher ground.
Source: cdn.shoplightspeed.com
Now school children are taken to visit tsunami monuments and are taught what to look out for. The tsunami killed a disproportionately large number of women and children because they could not swim. About 45,000 more women than men died - in some communities entire generations of children and the elderly were wiped out.
Finish Your Subscription
Awareness of the warning signs saved many lives on Simeule, an island off the west coast of Aceh - only seven people died in the tsunami there, compared to 167,000 in Aceh itself. The island's mountainous topography helped, but the islanders also knew what to do thanks to a local storytelling tradition called smong.
According to a UNESCO report, foggy stories told to children often end with a warning: "If there is a strong tremor and the sea recedes soon, run to the mountains, because the sea will soon rush to the shore." Candida Beveridge's report from Banda Aceh appeared on BBC World Service Outlook at 12.05 GMT on 24 December 2014. Listen to Fouzia Bassiaria's interview or hear more stories from Banda Aceh.
Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine email newsletter to get articles delivered to your inbox. Fight, don't run for Harry as he prepares to take up a position in India, Parkinson's patients find joy through dance. VideoIndia Parkinson's patients find joy through dance Five extraordinary letters that changed the course of history.
Video Five remarkable letters that changed the course of history © 2023 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our external linking methods. Nature's Sunshine Pure Herbs, Ltd. Weight Management Other Products 100% Pure Essential Oils (Single) 100% Pure Essential Oils (Blend) Essential Oil Kits Aromatherapy Accessories 2 fl.
noah's ark kentucky gift shop, ark encounter bookstore, ark encounter gift store, the ark gift shop, ark encounter gift shop online, ark encounter online store, ark encounter merchandise, noahs ark baby gifts