SINGAPORE: At the tender age of 12, Mr Lavan Vickneson stared death in the face.
He was swimming in the sea while on holiday with his family in Sri Lankan capital Colombo when he witnessed the beginnings of a tsunami that would later claim close to 230,000 lives.
The first wave was towering, but seemed harmless, Mr Lavan told CNA.
“Everybody was very intrigued by it, and we all stood at the seaside to look at it again,” he said, recalling the fateful day of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
When another large wave crashed against the shore, he took a photo up close with his father’s Nokia mobile phone. But it was the arrival of the third wave that sent his family scurrying.
“The third wave that came in was like a wall. It was like 20m high … Then I heard my dad call out to me to run. So we ran into the hotel (nearby),” said Mr Lavan, now 32 years old and a lawyer.
Mr Lavan Vickneson was on holiday with his family of four in Colombo, Sri Lanka, when he witnessed the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. His family miraculously survived.
When the waves hit the hotel, Mr Lavan was separated from his family and struggled in the strong currents. Somehow, he climbed onto a horse from the hotel's farm, then pulled himself up on top of a structure to safety.
“I sat on that roof and I was praying that my family was alive,” he said, adding that he witnessed dead bodies floating around.
After what felt like hours, Mr Lavan heard the voice of his father, who had earlier dived into the waters to save his wife and younger son from being swallowed by the raging currents.
The trio clung onto a coconut tree until the waters subsided and later found Mr Lavan. Miraculously, the family survived with no life-threatening injuries in the disaster triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western tip.
As the world on Thursday (Dec 26) marked the 20th anniversary of the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, Singapore agencies that were involved in relief efforts reflected on their experiences.
The two-week operation remains the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) largest overseas mission to date and the only one in its history where two teams were deployed simultaneously – one to Khao Lak in Thailand, and the other to Aceh in Indonesia.
In total, the SCDF helped to recover over a hundred bodies.
Colonel Mohamed Nazim Kudin and his team were among those on the ground.
They recalled the challenges – poor coordination with other international teams and a stark lack of technology at the time.
“All the infrastructure was damaged … You got very limited communication. You had to set up your satellite phone. We had to rely on a lot of first-hand information, meeting the locals and talking to them,” he said.
Relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami remains the Singapore Civil Defence Force's largest overseas mission to date. (Photo: Singapore Civil Defence Force)
But those challenges paled in comparison with some other aspects for fellow Colonel Lim Beng Hui.
"That was the first time that I had to carry dead bodies out, and I will not forget the sight and how tough it was,” he said.
“Just imagine yourself and three other persons carrying a stretcher with a person on top and trying to move through mud that gets stuck to your feet – it is difficult."
The Singapore Armed Forces was also involved in relief efforts – their largest to date as well.
Brigadier-General (Retired) Tan Chuan Jin, who was mission commander of the humanitarian assistance support group deployed to Meulaboh in Indonesia’s Aceh province, said that uncertainty loomed large.
The former politician added that what helped was taking time to build ties, which allowed the team to provide help more efficiently.
“Collaboration is key, whether in the context of a crisis like this, or in any situation. No one person … can do everything alone,” he said.
A year after the tsunami, the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX) was launched.
Held every two years, ARDEX builds stronger bonds among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in hopes that they are united and prepared for any future disaster.
“The belief in one ASEAN is really something that we hold very true to our hearts, because in any disaster, far away relatives are no match for your closest neighbors. So, it is important that we stand ready to help one another,” said SCDF’s Colonel Lim.
The Singapore Police Force and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) also provided forensic expertise to Thailand to help identify victims in the aftermath of the tsunami.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Fanny Koh, who was involved in the operation, said that as a result of the experience, the number of officers trained in disaster victim identification was increased. More than 200 Singapore police officers are now equipped with the skills.
“One major part is beyond just post-mortem and dealing with the body parts, it is guiding our officers (on) how to engage the next-of-kin, understanding the situation at the same time, getting important information from them,” she said.
“(This is) so that … we can then at the back-end, match the post-mortem information to identify the individual.”
HSA has been working to develop new and better methods to address the issue of rapid decomposition, which posed a significant challenge for officials in 2004.
Recent breakthroughs have pointed to a traditional method showing new promise – preservation with salt.
“Salt is an extremely good preservative, and what we have done is a validation study to show that, whether it's tissue, bone samples – all can be preserved in salt for well over two years,” said Dr Christopher Syn, group director for applied sciences at HSA.
The Singapore Red Cross said the lessons learnt during its relief efforts in 2004 profoundly influenced how it has been carrying out other missions.
Following Nepal’s earthquake in 2015, the humanitarian organisation collaborated with numerous partners, raising about S$13 million (US$9.6 million).
Those contributions funded over 40 rebuilding projects and played a key role in restoring the spirit of the people, it said.
"Early on, we realised that we have to work with other organisations in order to be able to make sure that the funds we raise are used most efficiently,” said Singapore Red Cross secretary general Benjamin William.
“We didn't get caught in this mindset that we have to work with the Red Cross, Red Crescent partners only. We (also) worked very closely with the governments. We always kept our partners informed of who we are working with.”
The organisation also learnt from its 2004 experience that it should set aside a fund which can be immediately used for such efforts.
Today, it aims to be on the ground within 48 to 72 hours of a crisis.
For Mr Lavan, who survived the tsunami with his family, the lessons are close to his heart and have influenced his attitude on life.
"Treat everyday as an important day, because just like that, an incident, a catastrophe like this, can take away your family, can even take away your own life. And you should treasure every day,” he said.
“Spend time with the people you love, do the things that make you happy, and do everything you can to the best, because you never know if there is going to be a tomorrow."
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He was swimming in the sea while on holiday with his family in Sri Lankan capital Colombo when he witnessed the beginnings of a tsunami that would later claim close to 230,000 lives.
The first wave was towering, but seemed harmless, Mr Lavan told CNA.
“Everybody was very intrigued by it, and we all stood at the seaside to look at it again,” he said, recalling the fateful day of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
When another large wave crashed against the shore, he took a photo up close with his father’s Nokia mobile phone. But it was the arrival of the third wave that sent his family scurrying.
“The third wave that came in was like a wall. It was like 20m high … Then I heard my dad call out to me to run. So we ran into the hotel (nearby),” said Mr Lavan, now 32 years old and a lawyer.
Mr Lavan Vickneson was on holiday with his family of four in Colombo, Sri Lanka, when he witnessed the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. His family miraculously survived.
When the waves hit the hotel, Mr Lavan was separated from his family and struggled in the strong currents. Somehow, he climbed onto a horse from the hotel's farm, then pulled himself up on top of a structure to safety.
“I sat on that roof and I was praying that my family was alive,” he said, adding that he witnessed dead bodies floating around.
After what felt like hours, Mr Lavan heard the voice of his father, who had earlier dived into the waters to save his wife and younger son from being swallowed by the raging currents.
The trio clung onto a coconut tree until the waters subsided and later found Mr Lavan. Miraculously, the family survived with no life-threatening injuries in the disaster triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western tip.
DEALING WITH CHALLENGES
As the world on Thursday (Dec 26) marked the 20th anniversary of the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, Singapore agencies that were involved in relief efforts reflected on their experiences.
The two-week operation remains the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) largest overseas mission to date and the only one in its history where two teams were deployed simultaneously – one to Khao Lak in Thailand, and the other to Aceh in Indonesia.
In total, the SCDF helped to recover over a hundred bodies.
Colonel Mohamed Nazim Kudin and his team were among those on the ground.
They recalled the challenges – poor coordination with other international teams and a stark lack of technology at the time.
“All the infrastructure was damaged … You got very limited communication. You had to set up your satellite phone. We had to rely on a lot of first-hand information, meeting the locals and talking to them,” he said.
Relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami remains the Singapore Civil Defence Force's largest overseas mission to date. (Photo: Singapore Civil Defence Force)
But those challenges paled in comparison with some other aspects for fellow Colonel Lim Beng Hui.
"That was the first time that I had to carry dead bodies out, and I will not forget the sight and how tough it was,” he said.
“Just imagine yourself and three other persons carrying a stretcher with a person on top and trying to move through mud that gets stuck to your feet – it is difficult."
The Singapore Armed Forces was also involved in relief efforts – their largest to date as well.
Brigadier-General (Retired) Tan Chuan Jin, who was mission commander of the humanitarian assistance support group deployed to Meulaboh in Indonesia’s Aceh province, said that uncertainty loomed large.
The former politician added that what helped was taking time to build ties, which allowed the team to provide help more efficiently.
“Collaboration is key, whether in the context of a crisis like this, or in any situation. No one person … can do everything alone,” he said.
STAYING PREPARED FOR SIMILAR SITUATIONS
A year after the tsunami, the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX) was launched.
Held every two years, ARDEX builds stronger bonds among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in hopes that they are united and prepared for any future disaster.
“The belief in one ASEAN is really something that we hold very true to our hearts, because in any disaster, far away relatives are no match for your closest neighbors. So, it is important that we stand ready to help one another,” said SCDF’s Colonel Lim.
The Singapore Police Force and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) also provided forensic expertise to Thailand to help identify victims in the aftermath of the tsunami.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Fanny Koh, who was involved in the operation, said that as a result of the experience, the number of officers trained in disaster victim identification was increased. More than 200 Singapore police officers are now equipped with the skills.
“One major part is beyond just post-mortem and dealing with the body parts, it is guiding our officers (on) how to engage the next-of-kin, understanding the situation at the same time, getting important information from them,” she said.
“(This is) so that … we can then at the back-end, match the post-mortem information to identify the individual.”
HSA has been working to develop new and better methods to address the issue of rapid decomposition, which posed a significant challenge for officials in 2004.
Recent breakthroughs have pointed to a traditional method showing new promise – preservation with salt.
“Salt is an extremely good preservative, and what we have done is a validation study to show that, whether it's tissue, bone samples – all can be preserved in salt for well over two years,” said Dr Christopher Syn, group director for applied sciences at HSA.
APPLYING LESSONS LEARNT
The Singapore Red Cross said the lessons learnt during its relief efforts in 2004 profoundly influenced how it has been carrying out other missions.
Following Nepal’s earthquake in 2015, the humanitarian organisation collaborated with numerous partners, raising about S$13 million (US$9.6 million).
Those contributions funded over 40 rebuilding projects and played a key role in restoring the spirit of the people, it said.
Related:
"Early on, we realised that we have to work with other organisations in order to be able to make sure that the funds we raise are used most efficiently,” said Singapore Red Cross secretary general Benjamin William.
“We didn't get caught in this mindset that we have to work with the Red Cross, Red Crescent partners only. We (also) worked very closely with the governments. We always kept our partners informed of who we are working with.”
The organisation also learnt from its 2004 experience that it should set aside a fund which can be immediately used for such efforts.
Today, it aims to be on the ground within 48 to 72 hours of a crisis.
For Mr Lavan, who survived the tsunami with his family, the lessons are close to his heart and have influenced his attitude on life.
"Treat everyday as an important day, because just like that, an incident, a catastrophe like this, can take away your family, can even take away your own life. And you should treasure every day,” he said.
“Spend time with the people you love, do the things that make you happy, and do everything you can to the best, because you never know if there is going to be a tomorrow."
Continue reading...