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Man: I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT, AND THE WHOLE WALL JUST EXPLODED.

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

Man: IT WAS LITERALLY LIKE BEING IN A WASHING MACHINE

WITH BRICKS, GLASS AND RAZOR BLADES.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 26, 2004,

A MASSIVE UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE TRIGGERED A TSUNAMI

IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.

Woman: WE SAW THIS PLETHORA OF DEBRIS

THAT WENT ON FOREVER, YOU COULDN'T SEE THE END OF IT.

Narrator: IN JUST A FEW HOURS,

THE SURGING WAVES CLAIMED 230,000 LIVES.

THE SCALE OF THE DEVASTATION

TOOK WORLD-LEADING SCIENTISTS BY SURPRISE.

Man: JUST COULDN'T GRASP IT.

I THINK THE WHOLE WORLD WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK.

Narrator: WITH EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS AND HOME VIDEOS,

THIS PROGRAM EXAMINES THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY...

Man: THERE WAS NO WARNING SYSTEM IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.

Narrator: ...AND INVESTIGATES THE SCIENCE RACE

TO FORECAST THE NEXT BIG ONE.

Man: IF CASCADIA HAPPENED TOMORROW,

WE WOULD LOSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Man: THERE WILL BE A NEXT ONE, SO YOU BETTER PREPARE FOR IT.

Narrator: 7:40 AM.

THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, 2004.

ON THE WEST COAST OF THAILAND,

IN THE POPULAR RESORT OF KHAO LAK...

THE BREISCH FAMILY FROM SAN DIEGO

HAS BEEN TOURING THE COUNTRY FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

Stu Breisch: WE WERE SUPPOSED THE LEAVE THE NEXT DAY

AND GO TO ANOTHER VILLAGE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PENINSULA.

AND WE DECIDED THAT WE WANTED TO DIVE ONE MORE DAY THERE.

Sally Nelson: WE WERE ALL REALLY EXCITED

AND GETTING OUR GEAR READY, AND, YOU KNOW,

THINKING ABOUT WHAT A FUN EXCURSION IT WOULD BE.

Stu: SHANTI, MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, AND SALLY AND I

BOOKED A DIVE BOAT THAT LEFT THE BEACH ABOUT 8 O'CLOCK.

Narrator: BUT YOUNGEST DAUGHTER KALI AND 16-YEAR-OLD JAI

HAVE OTHER PLANS.

Jai Breisch: MY YOUNGER SISTER AND I

HAD SORT OF STAYED OUT LATE, YOU KNOW,

HANGING OUT IN THE TOWN, BUYING STUFF THE NIGHT BEFORE,

AND SHE DIDN'T WANT TO GO OUT SCUBA DIVING THAT MORNING,

SO SHE DECIDED TO SLEEP IN WITH ME.

Narrator: ALSO ON VACATION IN THE RESORT

IS MARINE BIOLOGIST DWAYNE MEADOWS FROM HAWAII.

Dwayne Meadows: I HAD NEVER BEEN SCUBA DIVING IN THAT AREA,

SO I HAD BOOKED MYSELF ON A THREE-DAY SCUBA DIVING TRIP.

IT'S REALLY WARM AND CLEAR WATERS.

IT WAS REALLY SPECTACULAR, VERY COLORFUL.

Narrator: 70 MILES SOUTH ON THE ISLANDS OF PHI PHI,

NEWLYWEDS WILL AND AMANDA ROBINS FROM SACRAMENTO

ARE CELEBRATING THEIR HONEYMOON.

Will Robins: IT WAS JUST A BEAUTIFUL PLACE,

WITH JUST LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF PEOPLE ALL TRAVELING

AND HAVING A GOOD TIME,

AND YOU KNOW, SUN, BEACHES, YEAH, EVERYTHING YOU NEEDED.

Narrator: THE RESORT IS IN A STUNNING LOCATION,

BUT FOR WILL, THE BEAUTY OF A HONEYMOON

SURROUNDED BY THE SEA AND MOUNTAINS

ALSO RAISES AN UNUSUAL QUESTION.

Will: I LOOKED AT THE ISLAND AND I SAID,

"IF A TSUNAMI HAPPENED HERE YOU'D BE IN REAL PROBLEMS."

AND I DON'T KNOW WHY I THOUGHT THAT.

BECAUSE YOU LOOKED AT THESE TWO TALL MOUNTAINS AND A SANDBAR,

SO THE WAVE WOULD GO STRAIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE,

AND IT WOULD ALMOST FUNNEL THE WAVE INTO THE ISLAND.

Narrator: 400 MILES OFF THE COAST,

UNDER THE INDIAN OCEAN, THERE'S A ZONE OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY.

RUNNING NORTH TO SOUTH HERE

THERE'S A FAULT LINE IN THE EARTH'S CRUST

CALLED THE SUNDA FAULT.

IT'S OVER 1,100 MILES LONG, LONGER THAN CALIFORNIA.

HERE, THE EARTH'S TECTONIC PLATES

ARE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF MOTION.

THE INDIA OCEANIC PLATE IS BEING PULLED DOWN UNDER THE LAND MASS

CONNECTED TO INDONESIA AND THAILAND.

FOR 19 MILES UNDER THE SEAFLOOR, AND ALL ALONG THE FAULT LINE,

HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF COMPRESSION ARE ABOUT TO CAUSE

A CATACLYSMIC EVENT.

EARTHQUAKE.

CLOSEST TO THE EPICENTER-- INDONESIA.

IN THE TOWN OF BANDA ACEH,

THE TREMORS ARE BEING FELT AND FILMED.

AS BUILDINGS COLLAPSE, A POPULATION IS STUNNED.

[BEEPING]

7,000 MILES AWAY,

AT THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER IN HAWAII,

DR. STU WEINSTEIN IS ON DUTY.

Stu Weinstein: I THINK OUR PAGERS WENT OFF

SOMETHING LIKE 7 TO 8 MINUTES AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: THE CENTER IS SET UP SPECIFICALLY

TO WARN THE POPULATIONS OF THE PACIFIC OF A POTENTIAL TSUNAMI.

BUT STU ALSO RECEIVES ALERTS FROM THE GLOBAL SEISMIC NETWORK.

INITIAL INFORMATION IS SKETCHY.

Stu: SO I LOOKED UP, AND I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE

SOME INTERESTING SEISMIC SIGNALS.

THE DIGITAL PAGE HAS SOME VERY RUDIMENTARY INFORMATION,

BASICALLY TELLS US WHAT ALARM REGION WENT OFF.

BUT THERE WAS STILL SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE

I COULD EVEN BEGIN TO EVEN TRY TO LOCATE THE EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: EARLY ESTIMATES REGISTER THE SEISMIC TREMOR

AS A MAGNITUDE 8.5.

Stu: I ACTUALLY CHANGED A FEW THINGS

AND RE-RAN IT, AND IT CAME OUT WITH AN 8.9.

AN 8.9 VERSUS AN 8.5 MAY NOT SOUND LIKE A BIG DIFFERENCE,

BUT IS REALLY MANY TIMES MORE DESTRUCTIVE,

RELEASES MANY TIMES MORE ENERGY.

Narrator: IN FACT, FOUR TIMES AS MUCH POWER--

THE EQUIVALENT OF 17,000 ATOMIC BOMBS.

AND THE EARTHQUAKE GETS EVEN BIGGER.

IT'S EVENTUALLY MEASURED AS A MAGNITUDE 9.2.

THE THIRD LARGEST IN RECORDED HISTORY.

THE RUPTURE RELEASES ENOUGH ENERGY

TO RUN AMERICA FOR A WEEK.

AND IT TRIGGERS A TSUNAMI.

AS PART OF THE LAND MASS SUDDENLY LOWERS,

THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FAULT IS THRUST UPWARD,

AND A HUGE VOLUME OF WATER IS PUSHED UP

AND ACROSS THE SEA, TRAVELING UP TO 500 MILES PER HOUR.

IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES,

THE WAVE APPROACHES LAND AT INDONESIA.

HERE IT TAKES ITS MOST DEADLY FORM.

AS THE SEA BECOMES SHALLOWER,

THE WAVE SLOWS AND THE WALL OF WATER RISES HIGHER AND HIGHER,

AT THE SHORELINE AS MUCH AS 100 FEET HIGH.

[HORNS HONKING]

200 METERS INLAND FROM THE COAST,

CROWDS IN BANDA ACEH ARE STILL IN SHOCK FROM THE EARTHQUAKE,

WHEN NEXT THEY HAVE TO RUN FROM THE APPROACHING TSUNAMI.

WITHIN SECONDS, A WALL OF DEBRIS-FILLED WATER

SURGES THROUGH THE STREETS.

AS PEOPLE SCRAMBLE FOR SAFETY,

IT ENGULFS EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH,

EVENTUALLY REACHING OVER THREE MILES INLAND.

THE EPICENTER OF THE QUAKE IS 155 MILES OFF THE COAST,

BUT THIS QUAKE IS NOT ISOLATED TO ONE POINT.

Gerard Fryer: IT WAS JUST LIKE A ZIPPER UNZIPPING

FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, JUST CONTINUOUSLY,

FOR A TOTAL OF EIGHT MINUTES.

Narrator: IT'S THE LONGEST EARTHQUAKE DURATION

EVER RECORDED,

GENERATING MASSIVE TSUNAMI WAVES

THAT RADIATE OUT IN EVERY DIRECTION.

AFTER INDONESIA, ALSO IN THE WAVE'S PATH--THAILAND.

10:20 AM.

ON THE HOLIDAY ISLANDS OF PHI PHI,

THE MASSIVE COLLAPSE OF PART OF THE SEAFLOOR

CAUSES A TURBULENT SEA TO DRAWBACK FROM THE SHORELINE.

NEITHER LOCAL FISHERMEN NOR CONFUSED HOLIDAYMAKERS

ARE AWARE THAT A TSUNAMI IS JUST TEN MINUTES AWAY.

30 MILES OFF THE COAST, NEAR THE SIMILAN ISLANDS...

KAREN GROSSKREUTZ FROM HAWAII

IS SCUBA DIVING WITH A DIVE PARTNER.

Karen Grosskreutz: I SUSPECTED SOMETHING WAS UP

WHEN THE CURRENT TURNED US BACK.

YOU COULD WATCH THE WAVES START TO BUILD ABOVE US,

AND SO THE TURBULENCE INCREASED.

Narrator: UNLIKE A NORMAL WAVE THAT'S GENERATED BY WIND

ON THE SURFACE OF THE SEA,

IN DEEP WATER, A TSUNAMI MOVES IN A MASSIVE BLOCK OF WATER.

ON TOP IT RISES JUST A FEW FEET.

BUT MOST OF THE TSUNAMI'S POWER IS BELOW THE SURFACE.

Karen: WE'RE JUST GETTING SUCKED DOWN FURTHER AND FURTHER,

AND WAS KICKING HARD AND WORKING HARD,

AND DRAGGING MY BUDDY BELOW ME,

I WAS LIKE, OH, SOMETHING'S REALLY WRONG.

I MIGHT NOT BE OKAY.

Narrator: AN EXPERIENCED DIVER,

KAREN IS SUDDENLY IN A FIGHT FOR HER LIFE.

Karen: I DID START TO PANIC

AND INFLATE MY BUOYANCY CONTROL DEVICE

AND START TO TRY TO ASCEND QUICKLY,

AND SO I STARTED TO HAVE LIKE KIND OF LABORED BREATHING,

AND I STRUGGLED TO GET UP.

RIGHT ABOUT THE POINT I THOUGHT,

WOW, WE MIGHT REALLY BE IN DANGER,

THE WATER POPPED US UP, RIGHT TO THE SURFACE.

THAT WAS THE SCARIEST DIVE I'VE EVER BEEN ON.

Narrator: BACK ON THE MAINLAND, IN KHAO LAK,

DWAYNE MEADOWS HAS NO IDEA A TSUNAMI IS ON THE HORIZON.

Dwayne: I WAS JUST GETTING THE REST OF MY STUFF ORGANIZED,

AND I HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL BUNGALOW RIGHT ON THE BEACH

WITH KIND OF SLIDING GLASS DOORS

LOOKING STRAIGHT OUT AT THE OCEAN, I WAS IN THE FRONT ROW.

Narrator: AS PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE SEA,

CURIOSITY TURNS TO PANIC.

Dwayne: WHAT I FIRST HEARD WAS THE SCREAMS.

AND SO AT THAT POINT I TURNED AROUND,

AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT I SAW WAS THIS, THIS WHITE LINE.

Narrator: ONE MAN ON THE BEACH HAS NO CHOICE

BUT TO STAND UP TO THE ONCOMING WAVE.

Dwayne: THERE WAS PROBABLY ONLY FIVE TO TEN SECONDS

BEFORE IT ACTUALLY HIT.

Narrator: 10:30 AM.

DECEMBER 26, 2004.

THAILAND.

Narrator: FURTHER UP THE COAST IN KHAO LAK,

IN A BEACH-LEVEL BUNGALOW,

TEENAGER JAI BREISCH IS WITH HIS YOUNGER SISTER, KALI.

Jai: I JUST HEAR HER SCREAMING, WAKE ME UP, AND SHE WOKE ME UP,

AND SHE'S LIKE, "JAI, JAI,

YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS, YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS.

SOMETHING'S GOING ON."

AND THEN I JUST SAW THIS SHADOW, THIS GIANT WAVE COMING,

PROBABLY 30 FEET TALL.

AND IT WAS COMING RIGHT TOWARDS US.

INSTANTLY LIKE SURVIVAL MODE KICKED IN

AND I JUST SAID, "WE HAVE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE."

AND THEN I DIDN'T EVEN TAKE ONE STEP OUT THAT DOOR,

I WAS UNDERWATER, SO IT WAS LITERALLY THAT FAST...

...WHERE IT JUST [SNAPS] SNAP, HAPPENS LIKE THAT.

Narrator: HONEYMOONERS WILL AND AMANDA ROBINS

ARE IN THEIR HOTEL.

Will: EVERYONE'S RUNNING, JUST RUNNING INTO THE HOTEL,

RUNNING THROUGH THE HOTEL, AND RUNNING PAST US THIS WAY.

WHAT POPPED INTO MY MIND, SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING.

THAT WAS WHEN MY MIND WAS TRIGGERED,

LIKE, LET'S NOT RUN, LET'S GO AND HIDE.

SO WE BASICALLY JUMPED OVER THE COUNTER,

I THREW MY WIFE OVER THE COUNTER,

WE JUMPED OVER, RAN INTO A ROOM, RAN INTO ANOTHER OFFICE.

Narrator: THE COUPLE HAS NO CLUE THAT THEIR EFFORTS TO HIDE

HAS PUT THEM RIGHT IN HARM'S WAY.

Will: WE WEREN'T THERE FOR MAYBE MORE THAN TWO SECONDS

AND A HUGE ERUPTION,

I MEAN, JUST THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION YOU COULD IMAGINE,

BUT JUST NEVER STOPPED.

THE GROUND STARTED TO SHAKE SO HARD

THAT WE WERE PROBABLY MOVING UP,

YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE INCHES OFF THE GROUND.

Narrator: ONE VACATIONER IN THE SAME RESORT

MAKES FOR HIGHER GROUND, KEEPING HIS CAMERA RUNNING.

BY THE TIME HE REACHES THE THIRD FLOOR,

THE RISEN TSUNAMI IS DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

WILL AND AMANDA ARE STILL HIDING ON THE GROUND FLOOR.

Will: I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT AND THE WHOLE WALL JUST EXPLODED

AND JUST CAME STRAIGHT THROUGH AND HIT US BOTH,

JUST STRAIGHT, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE WALL.

AND I JUST REMEMBER IT HITTING ME IN THE SIDE OF THE HEAD,

AND I SORT OF BUCKLED SIDEWAYS

AND WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE NEXT WALL,

AND MY WIFE AND I'S HANDS SLIPPED APART.

Dwayne: THE BUNGALOW JUST LITERALLY

KIND OF DISINTEGRATED,

AND I REMEMBER THINKING I JUST NEED TO HOLD MY BREATH.

AND THEN I WAS SPINNING AND TWISTING AND...

IT STARTED TO GET EVEN MORE VIOLENT,

AND, AND THAT'S WHEN I REALLY STARTED TO PANIC.

AND THEN THINGS START TO HIT YOU,

START TO REALIZE THIS IS MORE

THAN JUST BEING ABLE TO SWIM THIS THING,

IT'S BEING ABLE TO SURVIVE THE IMPACTS OF ALL THIS GARBAGE.

Jai: IT WAS LITERALLY LIKE BEING IN A WASHING MACHINE

WITH BRICKS AND POOL BALLS AND GLASS AND RAZOR BLADES

AND CONCRETE AND FULL PIECES OF PLYWOOD

FLOATING OVER YOUR HEAD SO YOU CAN'T SURFACE.

AT ONE POINT, I WAS HIT BY A TREE LIKE THIS,

AND I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT KNOCKED MY COLLARBONE OUT.

Will: I'M TUMBLING OVER AND OVER,

AND REALIZING, OK, I DON'T HAVE ANY OXYGEN LEFT.

AND THEN REALIZING THIS IS MY DEATH,

THIS IS THE END OF MY LIFE.

Dwayne: AND I START THINKING ABOUT MY SON

AND JUST KIND OF SAYING GOODBYES,

SORT OF, YOU KNOW, GETTING CLOSURE ON YOUR LIFE.

Will: AND I REMEMBER CLEARLY SAYING TO MYSELF,

THIS ISN'T HOW I DIE.

THIS IS NOT HOW WILL ROBINS DIES.

Jai: I HAD THIS FEELING THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO DIE.

I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THIS.

Narrator: AFTER 15 MINUTES OF TOTAL WASHOUT,

EVENTUALLY THE WAVES DIE DOWN,

LEAVING A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION IN THEIR WAKE.

Jai: AND THEN I'M LIKE JUST LAYING THERE

IN A FEW INCHES OF WATER, LYING ON THE JUNGLE FLOOR,

LOOKING UP AT THIS PERFECT BLUE SKY

WONDERING WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Narrator: WHILE THE TSUNAMI HAS STRANDED JAI INLAND,

WILL ROBINS HAS BEEN TAKEN IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.

Will: IT WAS BANG-- I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.

AND I LOOK TO MY RIGHT, AND THERE I AM

300, 400 YARDS ACROSS THE ISLAND

OUT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.

MY WIFE'S HAND HAD SLIPPED OUT OF MINE,

SO I'D LOST MY WIFE, AND IT WAS OVER.

Narrator: NASA IMAGES REVEAL KHAO LAK FROM ABOVE

BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAVES.

THE WHOLE RESORT STRIPPED AWAY.

[BEEPING]

SCIENTISTS AT THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER

CONTINUE TO RECEIVE SEISMIC ALERTS.

IT'S BEEN OVER TWO HOURS SINCE THE INITIAL QUAKE.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

Stu: THERE WAS VERY LITTLE INFORMATION

COMING FROM THE SOURCE OF WHERE THIS HAPPENED.

THERE WAS NO SEA LEVEL INFORMATION,

SO WE WERE KIND OF FLYING BLIND.

Narrator: THERE ARE NO CONFIRMED REPORTS OF A TSUNAMI

FROM ANY SOURCE.

Stu: WE WERE JUST TRYING TO CALL PEOPLE THAT WE KNEW

IN THAT REGION.

AT THAT TIME, INDONESIA AND THAILAND,

NONE OF THEM HAD REALLY INVESTED IN THE COMMUNICATIONS

TO GET A WARNING OUT TO THE PUBLIC IN THE AREAS AT RISK,

SO THE PEOPLE HAD NO WARNING.

Narrator: AS THE TSUNAMI RADIATES OUT FROM THE EPICENTER,

THE NEXT TO FEEL ITS WRATH IS THE ISLAND OF SRI LANKA.

THEY, TOO, HAVE NO WARNING.

AN UNSTOPPABLE WALL OF WATER

ENGULFS THE COASTAL TOWN OF GALLE.

THE TSUNAMI SUBMERGES THE CENTRAL BUS STATION.

IN MINUTES, A WHOLE TOWN IS UNDERWATER.

ACROSS THE REGION, COUNTRY AFTER COUNTRY IS HIT

BY THE FORCE OF THE TSUNAMI.

THE WAVE EVEN RACES ACROSS THE OCEAN,

REACHING AS FAR AS SOUTH AFRICA,

5,000 MILES AWAY FROM THE EPICENTER,

11 HOURS AFTER THE QUAKE.

THE DEATH TOLL IS STAGGERING.

OVER 230,000 LIVES TAKEN.

IT'S THE DEADLIEST TSUNAMI EVER RECORDED.

Stu: I WAS, JUST, MY GOD,

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY, YOU KNOW?

IT WAS JUST KIND OF OVERWHELMING.

Narrator: IN INDONESIA, SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL

THE EXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION

IN THE PROVINCE OF ACEH FROM ABOVE.

AN ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD WIPED OFF THE MAP.

IN THAILAND, THE BEACHES THAT WERE ONCE PARADISE ARE IN RUINS.

Jai: IT WAS SOMETHING OUT OF A HORROR MOVIE OR A WAR ZONE.

IT WAS VERY, VERY GRUESOME AND VERY REAL.

Narrator: IN THE HOURS AFTER THE IMPACT,

MEDICS AND SURVIVORS STRUGGLE TO COPE

WITH THE SCALE OF THE DISASTER.

TEENAGER JAI BREISCH MAKES IT TO A HOSPITAL.

Jai: I'M ONLY 16,

AND ALL I HAD TO MY NAME WAS A PAIR OF BOXER SHORTS,

NO PASSPORT, NO MONEY, NO PHONE, NO PHONE NUMBERS.

Narrator: HIS PARENTS WERE AT SEA SCUBA DIVING

WHEN THE WAVE HIT.

AND THERE'S NO SIGN OF HIS YOUNGER SISTER KALI.

Jai: MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THEY WERE ALL DEAD.

AND THAT HIT ME KIND OF HARD.

'CAUSE I JUST KNEW THEY WERE DEAD.

Narrator: A HUGE TSUNAMI HAS DEVASTATED THE COASTLINE

OF 18 COUNTRIES AROUND THE INDIAN OCEAN.

SALLY AND STU BREISCH HAVE BEEN OUT AT SEA

ON A SCUBA DIVING TRIP

AND BARELY NOTICED THE TSUNAMI PASS UNDER THEM.

BUT WHEN THEY RETURN TO SHORE,

THEY GET THE SHOCK OF THEIR LIVES.

Sally: WE SAW THIS JUST, A PLETHORA OF DEBRIS

THAT WAS, THAT WENT ON FOREVER,

AND I MEAN, YOU COULDN'T SEE THE END OF IT.

WHEN WE GOT TO THE BUNGALOWS AND THEY WERE ALL DEMOLISHED,

AND THE TREES WERE ALL PULLED UP BY THE ROOTS,

AND IT WAS COMPLETE SILENCE.

Narrator: FOREMOST IN THEIR MINDS

IS THE LOCATION OF THEIR TWO TEENAGE CHILDREN, JAI AND KALI.

Stu: I HAD HOPE, BUT I REALLY WAS PREPARING MYSELF MENTALLY

FOR LOSING BOTH OF THEM, BECAUSE NOBODY COULD HAVE SURVIVED THAT.

Narrator: FOR DAYS, STU AND SALLY SEARCH,

JOINING THE THOUSANDS LOOKING FOR LOST LOVED ONES.

Sally: WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS THE PROBABILITY

THAT BOTH JAI AND KALI COULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED IT.

Narrator: THEN, AFTER FIVE DAYS, THERE'S NEWS.

THEIR SON JAI IS AT A HOSPITAL IN BANGKOK

AFTER BEING TRANSPORTED THERE

BECAUSE OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF HIS INJURIES.

AND THEY'RE REUNITED.

Stu: WE JUST LOOKED AT EACH OTHER,

AND I JUST HUGGED HIM AND WE BOTH WERE CRYING.

HE REALLY THOUGHT WE WERE ALL DEAD, EVERY ONE OF US.

HE THOUGHT HE WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD SURVIVED.

Narrator: FINDING JAI IS A RELIEF,

BUT THE REUNION IS BITTERSWEET--

THERE'S NO SIGN OF KALI.

WITHIN HOURS OF THE TSUNAMI,

NEWS OF THE DISASTER IS BROADCAST AROUND THE WORLD.

Newscaster: THE MOST POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE IN 40 YEARS

OCCURRED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA TODAY.

Newscaster: MORE THAN 11,000 PEOPLE ARE NOW THOUGHT

TO HAVE BEEN KILLED IN SOUTHERN ASIA.

Newscaster: REPORTS ARE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DEAD,

WITH THE DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE.

Narrator: THE U.S. NAVY IS THE FIRST TO RESPOND

IN A MASSIVE INTERNATIONAL RELIEF EFFORT.

THE U.S.S. ABRAHAM LINCOLN LEADS THE WAY.

Doug Crowder: IN THE LOW-LYING AREAS

WHERE MANY OF THE VILLAGES WERE THAT MET THE SEA,

IT'S JUST PANCAKED.

Narrator: OPERATION UNIFIED ASSISTANCE INVOLVES

MORE THAN 12,000 STAFF,

2 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND 12 CRUISERS,

PROVIDING UP TO 90,000 GALLONS OF CLEAN WATER EVERY DAY.

Doug: WE'RE GOING TO FLY WHEREVER WE'RE NEEDED

TO GET SUPPLIES AND PEOPLE BACK AND FORTH

TO THE PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED BY THIS.

Narrator: THE AIR RELIEF ALONE

MOVES OVER 6,000 PASSENGERS TO SAFETY,

AND PROVIDES 5,000 TONS OF FOOD AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES.

WHILE THOSE AFFECTED LOOKED TO CLEAN UP AND REBUILD,

TSUNAMI SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD TAKE STOCK.

Eddie Bernard: I THINK JUST COULDN'T GRASP IT.

I THINK THE WHOLE WORLD WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK.

Narrator: THE SINGLE BIGGEST FACTOR IN THE LOSS OF LIFE

WAS THAT IN 2004 THERE WAS NO EFFECTIVE WARNING SYSTEM

IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, UNLIKE SOME OTHER REGIONS, LIKE THE PACIFIC.

Gerard: WHAT I THOUGHT WAS WE'VE BLOWN IT,

THAT WE HAD OUR BLINKERS ON.

WE WERE SO CONCENTRATED ON THE PACIFIC, YOU KNOW,

BECAUSE THE THREAT IS VERY REAL.

WE HAD IGNORED THESE OTHER PLACES.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED THERE.

Narrator: BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF SEA LEVEL DETECTORS

AND POOR COMMUNICATIONS,

IT TOOK ALMOST FOUR HOURS BEFORE SEISMOLOGISTS

HAD CONFIRMATION THAT THE EARTHQUAKE HAD TRIGGERED

A TSUNAMI IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.

Ian Robertson: I THINK THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI

WARNED THE REST OF THE WORLD THAT THEY'RE NOT IMMUNE.

Eddie: THE TSUNAMI DOESN'T CARE WHICH COUNTRY YOU'RE FROM,

IT DOESN'T CARE WHICH LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK,

AND IT DOESN'T CARE WHAT RELIGION YOU HAVE,

IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU.

Narrator: THE BEST CHANCE OF PREVENTING A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS

EVER HAPPENING AGAIN?

CREATE A GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.

THE PROBLEM IS EARTHQUAKES UNDER THE SEA

ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT.

AND EVEN WHEN THEY DO OCCUR,

REACTING QUICKLY ISN'T THE ONLY CHALLENGE--

BECAUSE NOT ALL EARTHQUAKES PRODUCE A TSUNAMI.

Eddie: THIS IS WHERE A WARNING SYSTEM IS SO CRITICAL.

IT DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN THE SHAKING WHICH IS DANGEROUS

VERSUS THE SHAKING THAT'S NOT DANGEROUS.

Narrator: WHEN A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE

RUPTURES THE SEAFLOOR, IT FORCES A HUGE VOLUME OF WATER UPWARDS,

AND ACROSS THE SEA AT UP TO 500 MILES PER HOUR.

WHAT SCIENTISTS WANTED TO DO WAS TO USE THIS WAVE MOVEMENT

TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.

ENGINEERS AT THE PACIFIC MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL LAB

RAMP UP TECHNOLOGY

THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN AT PROTOTYPE STAGE--

A GLOBAL ARRAY OF DEEP SEA TSUNAMI DETECTORS.

THEY'RE CALLED DART BUOYS,

OR DEEP OCEAN AND ASSESSMENT OF TSUNAMIS.

THE PROBLEM WAS DEPLOYING A GLOBAL ARRAY OF BUOYS

AT SEISMIC AREAS IN DEEP SEA HAD NEVER BEEN TRIED BEFORE.

Christian Meinig: WE KNEW OUR TECHNOLOGY HAD TO BE EXPANDED,

IT HAD TO WORK ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET.

THE MOORING LINE HAS A BIG SPOOL INSIDE

THAT CAN GO UP TO SIX KILOMETERS OF WATER DEPTH NOW,

SO WE CAN DEPLOY THIS JUST WITH A CRANE, IT'S REALLY SIMPLE.

THE BRAINS OF THIS THING IS ON THE SEAFLOOR, RIGHT,

SO WE HAVE A BOTTOM PRESSURE GAUGE THAT SITS ON THE BOTTOM

AND IT COMMUNICATES TO THE BUOY WITH AN ACOUSTIC MODEM,

SO IT ACTUALLY SENDS DIGITAL INFORMATION

THROUGH THE SEAWATER, AND THE BUOY RECEIVES IT.

Narrator: THEN THE BUOY TRANSMITS A SIGNAL

TO A SATELLITE THAT BEAMS DATA DIRECTLY TO THE WARNING CENTERS.

ALL IN TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.

IN 2004 THERE WERE JUST SIX PROTOTYPE DETECTORS--

THREE OFF THE COAST OF ALASKA, TWO OFF THE NORTHWEST COAST,

AND ONE ON THE EQUATOR.

TODAY, 60 OF THESE DART BUOYS ARE POSITIONED

AT STRATEGIC POINTS AROUND THE WORLD.

IN THE RACE TO GET A WARNING OUT

BEFORE A TSUNAMI HITS THE COASTS,

WHEN A WAVE IS DETECTED, IT'S THEN UP TO COMPUTER MODELERS

TO MAKE A FORECAST, AND FAST.

Vasily Titov: TSUNAMI PROPAGATES WITH THE SPEED OF A JETLINER,

AND EVERY MINUTE COUNTS.

WHILE WE CANNOT PREDICT EARTHQUAKE,

IF WE CAN DETECT IT VERY FAST,

AND THEN MEASURE TSUNAMI THAT ORIGINATED FROM THAT,

THEN WE CAN PREDICT HOW TSUNAMI WAVE WILL PROPAGATE.

Narrator: IN 2004, VASILY TITOV CREATED

THE FIRST COMPUTER GLOBAL SIMULATION

OF THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI.

BACK THEN A FORECAST TOOK EIGHT HOURS TO BUILD.

BUT SINCE THEN, PIONEERING ADVANCES HAVE TAKEN THAT TIME

DOWN TO LESS THAN 45 MINUTES,

AND WITH MUCH MORE DETAIL.

Vasily: IF YOU USE DIFFERENT COLORS FOR DIFFERENT AMPLITUDES,

THEN YOU START TO VISUALIZE THE WAVE,

YOU ACTUALLY CAN SEE THE WAVE.

THAT'S QUITE STUNNING.

WE CAN PROBABLY NOT DEFEND OURSELVES

COMPLETELY FROM TSUNAMIS,

SO WHAT YOU CAN DO IS TO DO THE FORECAST

AND THEN ACT TO SAVE LIVES.

Narrator: AND ONLY SIX YEARS AFTER THE INDIAN OCEAN DISASTER,

THE NEXT REAL TEST WOULD COME.

2:46 PM.

MARCH 11, 2011.

80 MILES OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN,

A MAGNITUDE 9 EARTHQUAKE TRIGGERS A HUGE TSUNAMI.

WITHIN MINUTES,

A NETWORK OF SEISMIC STATIONS AND FAST OBSERVATION

CONFIRM THE WAVE.

MANY PEOPLE RESPOND AND MAKE FOR HIGHER GROUND.

WHEN THE TSUNAMI HITS, IT DEVASTATES JAPAN'S COASTLINE.

THE ENERGY OF THE WAVE IS SO POWERFUL

THAT IT TRAVELS ACROSS THE PACIFIC,

EVENTUALLY REACHING AMERICAN SHORES 10 HOURS LATER,

CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN PIERS AND HARBORS.

IN JAPAN, DESPITE THE ADVANCE WARNING,

THE TSUNAMI KNOCKS OUT A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN FUKUSHIMA,

THREATENING NUCLEAR MELTDOWN.

ACROSS JAPAN 19,000 PEOPLE ARE KILLED.

BUT IT'S ESTIMATED THAT WITHOUT A WARNING SYSTEM IN PLACE,

THE GLOBAL DEATH TOLL WOULD HAVE BEEN 10 TIMES THAT NUMBER.

THE TSUNAMI-DETECTING BUOYS LOCATED OFFSHORE

SENSED THE WAVE, AND A FORECAST WAS CREATED WITHIN 45 MINUTES.

NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR THOSE ON THE COAST,

BUT ENOUGH TIME FOR COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF JAPAN TO EVACUATE,

WHERE THERE WERE JUST TWO CASUALTIES.

Vasily: UNLIKE THE INDIAN OCEAN, WE WERE NOT BLIND.

WE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Narrator: THE SYSTEM WORKED.

BUT THERE WERE ALSO CRUCIAL LESSONS LEARNED.

THE NEXT TSUNAMI FORECAST WILL HAVE TO BE EVEN FASTER.

Vasily: WHAT WE CAN DO IS TO DEVELOP THE SYSTEM

THAT WILL PRODUCE THE FORECAST IN A MATTER OF MINUTES,

BETTER SECONDS, SO THAT PEOPLE ON THE COAST WILL BE WARNED.

Narrator: AS SOME LOOK TO FUTURE-PROOF THEIR COASTLINES,

OTHERS ARE LOOKING FOR WHEN AND WHERE

A KILLER WAVE WILL HIT AGAIN.

AND THEIR SIGHTS ARE SET ON THE WEST COAST OF AMERICA.

50 MILES OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST

LURKS ANOTHER SEISMIC ZONE KNOWN AS THE CASCADIA FAULT.

JUST LIKE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN,

HERE OCEANIC CRUST IS BEING PULLED

UNDER THE CONTINENTAL SHELF.

WHEN IT BREAKS,

A TSUNAMI WILL HIT THE COAST IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES.

Eddie: IT COULD HAPPEN TO US, IT WILL HAPPEN TO US,

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHEN.

Narrator: THE CRITICAL QUESTION IS WHEN WILL THE NEXT BIG ONE HAPPEN?

NO ONE CAN BE 100% CERTAIN.

SOME SCIENTISTS SAY THERE IS A ONE IN THREE CHANCE

THAT A MAGNITUDE 8 OR 9 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI

WILL HIT AMERICA IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

Gerard: IF SUCH AN EVENT HAPPENED TOMORROW,

WE WOULD BE SURPRISED,

BECAUSE REALLY LARGE EARTHQUAKES ARE RARE,

SO WE WOULD ALL BE SURPRISED,

BUT NOT THAT SURPRISED.

THERE WILL BE A NEXT ONE.

Ian: IF WE HAVE A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE ON THAT FAULT ZONE,

WHICH IS PREDICTED,

IT WILL CAUSE A TSUNAMI WHICH WILL INUNDATE THAT COASTLINE

WITHIN 20 TO 30 MINUTES.

IF CASCADIA HAPPENED TOMORROW

WE WOULD LOSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

ALONG THAT COASTLINE WHO WOULD BE EXPOSED,

AND MANY OF THOSE WOULD NOT HAVE A WAY TO GET TO HIGH GROUND.

Narrator: THE QUESTION FOR SCIENTISTS NOW IS

WILL AMERICA BE READY?

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY SCIENTISTS HAVE DESIGNED

A TEST FACILITY THAT THEY BELIEVE COULD SAVE LIVES.

THIS IS THE LARGEST TSUNAMI SIMULATOR IN THE WORLD.

A DIRECTIONAL WAVE-MAKING MACHINE

GENERATES TSUNAMI-LIKE SURGES OF WATER.

CAMERAS AND WAVE GAUGES MEASURE EVERY SPLASH AND CRASH.

THE TARGET OF ONE EXPERIMENT,

A SCALED DOWN MODEL OF THE TOWN OF SEASIDE, OREGON,

THAT'S RIGHT IN THE PROJECTED PATH OF A CASCADIA TSUNAMI.

Patrick Lynett: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TSUNAMI FLOWS THROUGH

THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT?

MEANING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT FLOWS THROUGH

GRIDS AND BLOCKS OF BUILDINGS?

Narrator: AS THE WAVE RUSHES DOWN STREETS,

AROUND MODEL HOUSES AND OFFICE BUILDINGS,

JUST LIKE THE TSUNAMI

AS IT SURGED THROUGH BANDA ACEH IN 2004,

THE BEHAVIOR OF THE WAVE ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO CREATE

COMPUTER MODELS OF THE PREDICTED TSUNAMI'S FLOW

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Patrick: WHAT WE SAW WAS THAT IT GETS CONCENTRATED.

SO THE WATER DEPTH GETS LARGER, THE VELOCITIES ARE HIGHER.

WITH THAT COMES A GREATER POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE.

[SCREAMING]

Narrator: THE SHOCKING SCENES FILMED ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN

IN 2004 COULD BE REPEATED IN AMERICA.

TEN YEARS AGO, PAT SAW FIRSTHAND

THE DEVASTATION THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI CAUSED.

Pat: WITHIN A WEEK, I WAS ON THE GROUND IN SRI LANKA

WITH A LARGE TEAM.

WHAT WE SAW IN 2004 IN THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI,

IT WAS A WAKE-UP CALL.

IT SHOWED US THAT TSUNAMIS ON MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE

CAN COMPLETELY DEVASTATE COMMUNITIES.

Narrator: SITUATED IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON,

NEAR THE CITIES OF SEATTLE AND PORTLAND

IS THE TOWN OF OCEAN SHORES.

WHEN THE CASCADIA FAULT BREAKS,

THERE ARE JUST 30 MINUTES BEFORE THIS HAPPENS.

Ian: THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO WILL TRY TO FLEE

BUT WON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO.

AND THEY WILL PERISH BECAUSE

THE TSUNAMI'S GOING TO COME TOO QUICKLY.

Narrator: 20 MILES SOUTH,

A SIMILAR SCENARIO THREATENS LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON.

LOCATED BETWEEN THESE TOWNS IS OCOSTA SCHOOL.

Ian: THE COMMUNITY AROUND OCOSTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

DECIDED THAT BECAUSE THE STUDENTS WOULDN'T HAVE TIME

TO EVACUATE TO HIGH GROUND,

THEY NEEDED TO PROVIDE A VERTICAL EVACUATION STRUCTURE.

THE PLAN IS THAT THERE WOULD BE FOUR STAIRCASES

TO ACCESS THAT ROOF.

SO IT WILL BE THE FIRST BUILDING SPECIFICALLY BUILT

FOR VERTICAL EVACUATION IN THE WEST COAST OF THE U.S.

HOPEFULLY NOT THE LAST.

Narrator: AND IT'S NOT JUST TOWNS AND CITIES

IN THE DIRECT FIRING LINE OF A DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI

THAT ARE UNDER THREAT.

Pat: WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT TSUNAMI DAMAGE,

YOU THINK ABOUT FLOODING, YOU THINK ABOUT INUNDATION.

IF YOU'RE IN A PORT OR A HARBOR,

YOU CAN GET TREMENDOUS TSUNAMI DAMAGE WITH NO FLOODING,

WITH NO INUNDATION,

AND THIS TSUNAMI DAMAGE IS BEING CAUSED BY THE STRONG CURRENTS.

Narrator: INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE FROM JAPAN IN 2011

GAVE PAT THE FIRST-EVER VISUAL EVIDENCE

OF A DESTRUCTIVE PHENOMENON--

A TSUNAMI WHIRLPOOL.

Pat: IT'S TREMENDOUS.

THE WHIRLPOOL TAKES UP THE ENTIRE PORT,

AND IT'S SPINNING SO FAST THAT YOU HAVE WHITE WATER RAPIDS

ESSENTIALLY ROTATING AROUND THE CENTER OF THIS IMAGE,

THE SCALE OF THAT WAS SOMETHING WE HADN'T SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: PAT IS SETTING UP A UNIQUE EXPERIMENT

IN THE WAVE TANK.

Pat: AKUD, IF YOU COULD GET ALONG THE BREAKWATER,

AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN TO THE BREAKWATER.

WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS APPROXIMATELY A 1 ON 30 SCALE

OF A REAL TSUNAMI IN A PORT OR A HARBOR.

TO DO THAT WE USE SURFACE TRACERS,

AND THAT'S WHAT THESE BLACK BALLS ON THE WATER SURFACE ARE.

AS THE TSUNAMI STARTS TO MOVE,

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THESE BALLS START TO MOVE

WITH THE FLOW OF THE WATER.

Narrator: A SCALED DOWN TYPICAL HARBOR WALL

IS SET IN THE PATH OF THE ONCOMING WAVE.

Pat: OK, CONTROL ROOM, WE ARE OK TO RUN A WAVE.

Man: OK, WAVE MAKER STARTED.

Pat: THE WAVE MAKER IS PUSHING FORWARD VERY SLOWLY.

YOU CAN START TO SEE THE RIPPLES ON THE WATER SURFACE.

THERE IS A WAVE ABOUT AN INCH HIGH

PUSHING TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE WAVE BASIN.

YOU'LL SEE THAT THE TRACERS ARE STARTING TO MOVE.

Narrator: EVEN THOUGH THE WAVE

IS JUST THREE CENTIMETERS IN HEIGHT,

IT REPRESENTS A THREE-FOOT TSUNAMI.

WATER STARTS TO FUNNEL THROUGH THE GAP AND ACCELERATE.

Pat: NOW THE WAVE MAKER IS RETRACTING,

IT'S PULLING A DEPRESSION WAVE,

THE WATER IS STARTING TO REVERSE.

Narrator: AT FULL SCALE, THIS MAN-MADE WHIRLPOOL

WOULD MAKE EVEN A THREE-FOOT TSUNAMI POTENTIALLY DEADLY.

Pat: YOU CAN SEE THESE RADIAL WAVES,

TO GIVE YOU ALMOST THAT HURRICANE LOOK.

THE BEST WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT

IS TO COMPARE IT TO THE POWER OF MOVING AIR.

SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE STRONGEST TORNADOES WE HAVE

WHERE THE AIR MOVES AT ABOUT 300 MILES PER HOUR,

THAT EXERTS A FORCE ON A BUILDING.

WATER MOVING AT JUST 10 MILES PER HOUR

GIVES YOU THE SAME FORCE ON THAT BUILDING

AS AIR MOVING 300 MILES PER HOUR.

WHEN WE FIRST REPLAYED THE IMAGES,

IT DID SURPRISE US AT HOW FAST THE WATER WAS MOVING.

HOW HIGH THE WATER MOVES UP AND DOWN IS QUITE SMALL.

IT'S EVEN HARD TO SEE.

BUT HOW QUICKLY THE WATER MOVES HORIZONTALLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE

IS AMAZING, IT'S VERY ENERGETIC.

WHEN YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION,

YOU CAN START TO DESIGN AND DEVELOP HARBORS AND MARINAS

THAT ARE RESILIENT, THAT CAN'T BREAK.

AND SO THEY START TO BECOME ACCOMMODATING FOR DISASTERS.

Narrator: WHILE PORTS AND HARBORS ARE NOW BETTER ABLE

TO PLAN AND PREPARE,

FOR THE POPULATION OF THE NORTHWEST COAST,

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR.

Eddie: IT'S IN YOUR BEST INTEREST

TO TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES.

YOU COULD STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND,

IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME, THAT'S, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE,

BUT I THINK YOU OWE IT TO YOUR FAMILY TO SAY,

"WELL, IT'S A POSSIBILITY,

MAYBE WE OUGHT TO, WE OUGHT TO PRACTICE AND PREPARE."

Narrator: SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO RECEIVE ALERTS

OF THE PLANET'S SEISMIC ACTIVITY 24/7

AND LOOK FOR WAYS OF FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE FORECASTING

OF FUTURE TSUNAMIS.

TODAY A WARNING CAN GO OUT IN AS LITTLE AS FIVE MINUTES--

FIVE TIMES FASTER THAN DURING THE JAPAN TSUNAMI.

AND FOR THOSE WHO LIVED THROUGH THE DISASTER IN 2004,

THEY'LL NEVER FORGET THE WAVE'S DESTRUCTIVE POWER.

IN THE DAYS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DISASTER,

SALLY AND STU BREISCH WERE AMONG THE THOUSANDS

LOOKING FOR LOST FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.

THEY HAD BEEN OUT AT SEA ON A SCUBA DIVING TRIP

DURING THE TSUNAMI,

BUT TWO OF THEIR TEENAGE CHILDREN, JAI AND KALI,

WERE IN A BEACH BUNGALOW WHEN THE WAVE HIT.

INCREDIBLY, FIVE DAYS AFTER THEY WERE SEPARATED,

JAI WAS FOUND AT A HOSPITAL IN BANGKOK.

BUT THERE WAS NO SIGN OF KALI.

Sally: WE KNEW PRETTY MUCH IN OUR HEARTS THAT SHE WAS GONE.

Narrator: FOUR DAYS LATER, KALI, JUST 15 YEARS OLD,

WAS IDENTIFIED AMONG THOSE FOUND DEAD.

Stu: I JUST REMEMBER HER AS BEING SO FULL OF LIFE

AND JOY AND MISCHIEF.

I REALLY, REALLY MISS HER.

Narrator: HONEYMOONERS AMANDA AND WILL ROBINS

HAD BEEN SEPARATED BY THE WAVE,

WHICH DRAGGED WILL OUT INTO THE OCEAN.

Will: IT WAS BANG-- I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.

AND I LOOK TO MY RIGHT, AND THERE'S MY WIFE RIGHT THERE,

THREE FEET FROM ME.

AND I GRABBED HER ARM,

AND SHE'S JUST SCREAMING, "I'M BROKEN, I'M BROKEN, I'M BROKEN."

Amanda Robins: I DON'T THINK I TRULY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

ALSO BECAUSE YOUR BODY,

YOUR MIND IS JUST IN A STATE OF SHOCK.

Narrator: WHEN A RESCUE BOAT FOUND THEM,

WILL AND AMANDA WERE IN NEED OF URGENT MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.

WILL'S COLLARBONE WAS BROKEN, AND HIS EAR WAS ALMOST TORN OFF.

BUT AMANDA FEARED SHE COULD BE PARALYZED--

HER PELVIS WAS SHATTERED.

Amanda: YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO SURVIVE.

I THINK WILL DID AN AMAZING JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT WE SURVIVED

AND DID IT TOGETHER.

Will: IT DEFINITELY CHANGED MY LIFE, COMPLETELY.

AND I HAVE MY WIFE AND MY WONDERFUL DAUGHTER,

AND IT'S GIVEN ME A PERSPECTIVE.

Amanda: WE WERE YOUNG. WE WERE JUST MARRIED.

YOU TAKE A LOT OF THINGS FOR GRANTED.

AND YOU'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO DO THAT ANYMORE.

YOU JUST CAN'T. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.

BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WAS LOST.

Jai: I WOULD SAY IT TOOK 10 YEARS TO RECOVER.

I MEAN, TO GET BACK ON TRACK,

TO GO THROUGH THE GRIEF AND THE LOSS

AND TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DEAL WITH THE CHRONIC PAIN.

Dwayne: IT STILL AFFECTS ME TO THIS DAY.

BEYOND PROCESSING THE TRAUMA

IS SORT OF REANALYZING YOUR PRIORITIES IN LIFE.

Narrator: DWAYNE RETURNED TO THAILAND

TO HELP SOME COMMUNITIES REBUILD.

Sally: THIS KIND OF THING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME, ANYWHERE.

Will: IT WAS A HARD ROAD, AND IT WAS PAINFUL,

BUT WE GOT TO, WE GOT TO DO IT TOGETHER,

AND WE GOT TO SURVIVE, SO.