“My
grandparents survived the 1907 “Smong” to tell the
story. That’s how we survived last year’s earthquakes
and tsunami,” says 49 year old Jairman, head teacher of
SMP (Sekolah Menengah Petama) School on the Indonesian island
of Simeuleu, as he recalls how he and his family escaped the
wrath of the recent tsunamis that swept their island.
“Smong” is the local term for tsunami or giant waves.
It has become a byword in every household in Simeuleu, especially
after two tsunamis hit the island in a span of three months
– December 26, 2004 and March 28, 2005, sending everyone
running for their lives as they shouted “Smong, Smong,
Smong”.
“Smong” first became a popular bedtime story for
children after a tsunami struck Simeuleu in l907, leaving many
people dead and hundreds of houses destroyed, according to the
villagers.
Survivors of the disaster told the story to their children to
warn them of the signs of Smong in case the same thing happened
again. The story was passed on to the present generation, which
the people credit with having saved their lives.
Unlike in many areas in Sumatra where the tsunamis killed on
an appalling scale, Simeuleu recorded only eight dead in the
March 2005 disaster.
“It could have been many more, if not for the Smong story
passed on to us by our ancestors which gave all the early warning
signs that everyone remembered,” explained Jairman. “When
the earthquake came, the story of Smong flashed into my mind
and the voice of my grandmother seemed to echo from all over.
‘Watch the sea after the earthquake. When the water recedes,
Smong follows. Don’t wait a second; just run for your
life’”.
“When the water receded,” Jairman continues, “I
dragged my family to higher ground leaving everything behind
us. All the people also ran to the mountain.” Jairman
recalls. “No one died in my village in this year’s
tsunami, but all of the 40 houses there were swept away to the
sea.”
Jairman’s family used to stay at the foot of the mountain
in Linggi village. Along with other villagers, they now stay
in a temporary living centre in the Upper Linggi. “We
are still too scared to go back. Not yet. The experience of
tsunami was just too much to bear, and we still experience tremors
here every now and then,” Jairman says, shaking his head.
For Simeulue which is populated by some 80,000 people distributed
in eight sub-districts including the capital sub-district of
Sinabang, Smong is not just a story. It has become a traditional
and effective early warning tool to which everyone – including
children – can relate and take seriously.
“We want the story to live on. Here in our school, all
our 28 teachers include the 1907 Smong story in their history
class to make sure the students are aware of this important
matter.” Jairman continues, pointing to the classrooms.
Indeed, ask the 415 students in the SMP school and they will
all say “Ah Smong, tsunami. . . big waves taller than
the trees. We heard the story from our parents and teachers.
All our friends know it too.”
In Salur, said to be one of the villages worst hit by the tsunami
in 1907, with many people dead and the oldest and tallest mosque
in Simeuleu totally destroyed, everyone has a story to tell,
all relating to Smong.
Upon hearing us talk about Smong, fisherman Muin pointed to
the collapsed mosque “This is the same spot where the
oldest and tallest mosque of Simeuleu used to be. People rebuilt
it after it was destroyed in l907. But it was destroyed again
during the 2002 earthquake, and again, this year. So now, we
have to build it again.
Muin shrugs his shoulders and spreads his arms, adding: “It’s
OK for us, we will do it over and over again if we have to.”
Muin also shows us the grave near the mosque with the markings
‘27-3-1907’. “One of the victims of the 1907
tsunami was buried here. You see, this tsunami also happened
in the month of March.”
Seventy-year old Emiamin, meanwhile, recalls that on the day
before the earthquake, the buffaloes, goats and cows acted strangely
and ran to the mountain, instead of staying near the beach as
they usually do every afternoon. The birds were unusually noisy,
too.
“I said to my family ‘something is wrong’.
Suddenly, something frightening came to mind. I realized these
were the same signs our grandparents told us about Smong. That
got us all alerted. Without wasting a second, we rushed to the
mountain along with other villagers.”
Mudi, 25, also of Salur, said that when he saw the water recede
after the earthquake, he grabbed his parents and sisters and
scampered to higher ground. “That was the sign of Smong,”
Mudi added, recalling the story told to him by friends.
Emiamin, Mudi and the rest of the 647 villagers of Salur said
they stayed up in the mountain for six months lest the same
thing happened again. They returned to their village only after
the Ramadan to rebuild their destroyed houses and try to live
life anew.
In the village of Desa Lauke, sub-district of Simeuleu Tengah,
30 year old Rusiani, mother of three children said that before
the tragedy, she and other villagers noticed the waves were
unusually strong and unstable. Realizing something was wrong;
she grabbed her three children and headed for higher ground.
The folk of Simeuleu may have heard other stories from their
ancestors, but “Smong” will be the most remembered.
Smong is not just another story. It is an early warning message
that can mean the difference life and death.
Disaster preparedness, with community awareness and early warning
systems as a core element, are a priority for the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
In tsunami-devastated areas, the Federation, in cooperation
with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), has stepped up its disaster
preparedness programme with the community’s involvement.
Working in the temporary living centres, schools and communities,
the PMI volunteer team shows a new cartoon video on disaster
preparedness which promotes the importance of monitoring and
disseminating the signs of different calamities, disaster response,
care for the environment, and basic first aid. While the programme
is especially for children, adults also enjoy the show.
The Red Cross has also intensified its training on disaster
management for volunteers and community leaders who are later
organized into community-based disaster response teams, ready
to be deployed anytime disaster strikes. The training includes
rescue, evacuation, first aid, emergency health response, psychological
support and community organization.
With heightened awareness on the signs of disasters, especially
of Smong, people who were earlier traumatized by the tsunami
gather on the beach as usual, to enjoy the cool breeze and the
gentle lapping of the waves with the quiet company of the buffaloes
resting comfortably on the sand, knowing always at the back
of their minds the Smong story that has saved countless lives
– time and again.
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Jairman,
head teacher of SMP (Sekolah Menengah Petama) School on
the Indonesian island of Simeuleu, includes the “Smong”
story in history class so that the message of understanding
early warning signs is passed to new generations.
Photo: Teresita P. Usapdin/International Federation
(p13636)
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Students
of SMP school say they are always aware of “Smong”
– the tsunami that is taller than the trees.
Photo: Teresita P. Usapdin/International Federation
(p13640)
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Seventy-year
old Emiamin recalls that buffaloes and other animals were
acting strangely before the tsunami, the same signs his
grandparents told him about Smong. People of Simeuleu
are assured of a safe and fine day when they see buffaloes
resting on the beach sand comfortably.
Photo: Teresita P. Usapdin/International Federation
(p13637)
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This
photo shows the spot where the tallest and oldest mosque
in Simeuleu used to be. It was destroyed during the 1907
earthquake and tsunami, again by the 2002 earthquake,
and again, during this year’s earthquake and tsunami.
The people are ready to build it again.
Photo: Teresita P. Usapdin/International Federation
(p13639)
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A
villager of Salur points to the grave with markings 1907,
where one of the victims of the 1907 tsunami lies.
Photo: Teresita P. Usapdin/International Federation
(p13467) |
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