On Simeulue island in Indonesia, folk knowledge helped people escape 2004 tsunami
by editors@theworld.org (Leila Goldstein) from The World: Latest Stories on (#6T6GQ)
Nearly a quarter of a million people died from the earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004; the majority of deaths were in Indonesia. But one island, off the coast of the hardest-hit province in Sumatra, had just a handful of deaths. Researchers say residents on the island of Simeulue survived, in part, because of folklore passed down from generation to generation. Twenty years later, locals are trying to keep these traditions alive. Leila Goldstein [LIE-luh GOLD-steen] spoke with survivors on the Island.