Remembering the tsunami 15 years ago |28 December 2019

On Sunday December 26, 2004, the islands of Seychelles experienced tidal waves of up to four metres high following a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale which struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.

We were taken by surprise by this event as we never experienced such a natural disaster. Waves swept boats, cars and infrastructure mainly in the southern coast of Mahé.

First the tidal waves hit La Digue, moved rapidly to Praslin and soon after Mahé. Praslin resident Rebecca Bouchereau, aged 78, recalls that she was returning from her regular Sunday prayers along with her husband Dekse and grandchild Maggie.

“As we were returning from prayers at Baie St Anne, the tide was really low and we could see many people picking up fish that appeared to have been washed ashore, in large bags. I remember that my knee was aching as I wanted to go onboard one of the many boats, which had also landed onshore. As soon as I turned to do so, the wave washed over me, I tumbled several times and went under. My granddaughter Maggie saw me being washed away by the tidal waves which had also washed my glasses away. Luckily I managed to grab on to a coconut tree until the waves eventually subsided,” said Mrs Bouchereau.

“At some point Maggie asked if I was still there. My husband Dekse had also been washed away by the wave into a large pool of water. Mr Souffe sent his son to help me from where I was clinging to the coconut tree. By that time, my feet were numb, my knees scraped and scarred and I was itchy all over. Since my clothes were ripped and soaked, they assisted me with a large t-shirt. When my husband came out from the water, we went to hospital. I had faith that we would not die having just come from prayers. Since then, my husband had been traumatised until he passed a year on from the incident.”

Mrs Bouchereau noted that the day of the catastrophic event the majority of people were still in high spirits and still in the festive mood. She recalls that the tragic event put an end to the celebratory mood as the powerful waves had taken with it their possessions, pets, including pots and pans in which they had cooked up their festive feasts, just the day before.

Many farms in the south were completely devastated and properties at Anse à la Mouche were also hit. The tsunami shook the country and many of us got to know more about this phenomenon. Since this event, the Department of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM) has invested in building capacity of locals in order to better manage, respond and react to such eventuality.

The accompanying photos show some of the devastating effects of the tsunami in Seychelles.

Vidya Gappy