Iswahyudi
"O My God , if I am to die now, I am willing. I entrust my parents and all my family to You, My God . Just one thing (I ask): allow me to record this event. If this house collapses, and I find myself in the water, I will strive to keep recording. One second, two seconds, I am still alive, I record. Then, I enter the water, tossed and turned, and I will continue recording until I die. Then, I entrust this cassette to You, please convey it to the world so that the world knows how Mighty You are." That was Cut Putri's prayer when the powerful earthquake and tsunami struck Aceh on December 26, 2004, around 08:00 AM.
The magnitude of the disaster would not have been witnessed by the world if it weren't for Cut Putri, who happened to be in Aceh to attend her relative's wedding. It took a strong and resilient heart to witness the horrifying disaster that claimed around 250,000 lives from various countries with coastlines along the Indian Ocean, the majority of them in Aceh. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Cut Putri was present during this catastrophic moment, armed with a handy cam that provided an authentic recording of the immense disaster, proving it to be more than just a legend from the past. Such occurrences are plausible in the current era, especially in Indonesia, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, susceptible to geological and volcanic disasters. Here is the story of the civilization's disappearance engulfed by the tsunami waves:
Cut Putri, originally residing in Jakarta, had arrived in Aceh with her extended family a few days before December 26, 2014, to attend a family wedding in the Lamjame area near Ulele. Before the earthquake and tsunami struck, she and her extended family explored various tourist spots in Banda Aceh and Sabang.
Source: Youtube Screenshoot
From the documented footage, she could observe the appearance of Banda Aceh and Sabang before the tsunami, the view of the Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Diesel (PLTD) Apung (Floating Diesel Power Plant) one day before the tsunami. From her recordings, it was apparent that PLTD Apung was still at sea, surrounded by the ocean and people in Ulele. However, after the tsunami hit, PLTD Apung was dragged far inland, approximately 4 km.
On December 26, 2004, around 08:00 AM, her extended family gathered to prepare for the Tunggara ceremony (a wedding procession, escorting the bride to the groom's family home) in the Lampulo area. As they were getting ready to leave, a sudden 8.9 magnitude Richter scale earthquake occurred. Her family panicked at the intensity of the earthquake. Cut Putri described the earthquake's severity, stating, "Those standing fell to a sitting position. Those sitting fell lying down. And those asleep were thrown around." Although the two-story house she lived in with her family remained standing and resilient, many ceramics and wall decorations fell.
After the earthquake subsided, she called her extended family inside and on the second floor to come down immediately. Eventually, everyone managed to descend and gather in the yard to avoid the possibility of the building collapsing. While descending, they had to be extra cautious due to scattered shards of ceramic and glass kitchen utensils.
During this moment, with small earthquakes continuing, Cut Putri still managed to record with her handy cam, depicting the atmosphere in her home and the commotion of her extended family after the devastating earthquake. Before the anxiety caused by the earthquake could subside, faint sounds from the direction of the beach, resembling the roar of large trucks, could be heard. The sound started softly but gradually grew louder. People were still wondering what the sound could be. They were yet to realize that it was a significant danger—tsunami, estimated to reach a height of 30 meters, ultimately sweeping away homes, buildings, cars, boats, shops and claiming over 250,000 lives.
Suddenly, from the direction of the beach, Cut Putri saw people running to save themselves, shouting, "Water is rising, water is rising." Cut Putri and her extended family were still unaware of what was actually happening. However, the sound, similar to the roar of a truck, intensified, as if an airplane was about to land on the location. Cut Putri described the intensity of the roar as if she were in front of an airplane. "Like being in front of an airplane. The sound is so loud. Just hearing it, people are shocked. Shocked, petrified, and confused about what is happening," explained Cut Putri in an interview with serambinews.com a year ago.
In that thrilling moment, Cut Putri's father shouted to her extended family to quickly go up to the second floor of the house. Her father had experience living in Papua, where, during significant earthquakes, people immediately sought higher ground. Most of her family quickly ascended to the second floor. However, some were still hesitant and worried that going up might cause the building to collapse. On the other hand, if they stayed downstairs, they were unsure where to run to for safety.
In the critical moment, where small earthquakes were still ongoing, Cut Putri managed to ensure that her extended family and some neighbors went up to the second floor. She was the last person to ascend to the second floor. The event happened so quickly. Before going up, she noticed three small children on the first floor appearing confused and almost unconscious in the face of this event. She quickly carried the three children. After succeeding, she returned downstairs to ensure if anyone was left. While she was downstairs, shouts came from the upper floor, urging Cut Putri to go up. The people upstairs had already seen the tsunami wave approaching from a distance. Meanwhile, Cut Putri was still unclear about what was happening. Quickly, she went upstairs, and water had already started entering the house. While climbing the stairs, she slipped, her handy cam getting wet, but she held onto it. With great difficulty, Cut Putri made it to the second floor of her house.
Upon reaching the second floor, she stepped onto the terrace and witnessed the tsunami wave rapidly approaching with dark black water. At that moment, she felt that death was very close, and this could be her last moment. She saw debris from buildings being swept away; the wave submerged thousands of homes and destroyed them. Some tall buildings still stood. Shortly after, she realized what she had to do. She felt that this was a rare event she was witnessing, and she believed she was in that moment for a purpose. The handy cam was still in her hands. She quickly turned on the camera and documented the disaster.
"Not everyone has the opportunity to be destined to be in such a position, then be able to witness the greatness of The God. I spoke to God. I said, 'Oh My God, if I am to die now, I am willing. I entrust my parents and all my family to You, O My God. Just one request. Please allow me to record this event. If this house collapses, and I find myself in the water, I will strive to keep recording. One second, two seconds, I am still alive, I record continuously. Then, I enter the water, tossed and turned, and I will continue recording until I die. Then, I entrust this cassette to You; please convey it to the world so that the world knows how Mighty You are,'" recounted Cut Putri's story.
Source : AP
Cut Putri recounted that the Tsunami waves did not occur just once. There were four waves that struck. After the first wave hit, the receding wave returned to the sea. She saw all the debris from homes, household items, trees, and the bodies of victims being pulled toward the sea. She witnessed a mother drifting on a mattress, but her position was unreachable, and Cut Putri could not help her. Cut Putri advised the mother to always remember God. The mother, calmly and continuously praying and remembering God's name for protection, was rapidly pulled into the sea with the returning wave.
Suddenly, she heard a man's voice calling for help on the lower floor of that house. Hearing this, her father and brother immediately searched for the source of the sound. They found a man lying on furniture floating on the water. After rescuing him, he narrated how he tried to save himself from the tsunami wave coming from the Ulele beach. He attempted to save himself with his motorcycle. Before he could start the engine, the wave struck, his motorcycle was rolled over by the tsunami, and when he was rescued, the motorcycle key was still stuck to his thumb.
During the second wave, Cut Putri also managed to record it. She observed an anomaly where, before the tsunami struck, she could not see the beach view from that house because it was obstructed by settlements. After the tsunami wave hit, she used her handy cam to record the beach and zoomed in. She understood what had happened, that the tsunami had destroyed those settlements, even though the distance from the house to the beach was about 1 km.
Cut Putri also recorded some people trying to save themselves on the roof. She also recorded a boy sitting on the upper floor, a bit far from the house, seeking shelter. The boy called out, wanting to go to the house where there were more people because the atmosphere was livelier. After the tsunami subsided, he was successfully evacuated and recounted how he tried to save himself by riding a motorcycle with his father. However, the tsunami rolled them over, and he was swept into that house, managing to climb onto the terrace and subsequently climb higher as the water rose.
After that thrilling incident, Cut Putri and those with her sought refuge in a safer place. They walked to Simpang Dodi, but due to the abundance of debris, it took them hours to reach the location. She saw lifeless bodies strewn everywhere, human body parts scattered, and people in agony. She tried to identify if any of them were part of their family by turning over each corpse one by one. With so many bodies, she felt helpless. She also encountered some individuals in the throes of death, suffering from dehydration and asking for water. Cut Putri could only guide them in prayer, reminding them of God when facing moments of death. Afterward, she covered their faces and bodies with whatever fabric was available. She also saw the carcasses of animals scattered, ranging from dogs to white crocodiles. Seeing this situation, she couldn't do much, only offering prayers.
Upon reaching Simpang Dodi, she met many people busy searching for their families. Eventually, she continued the journey to Simpang Ketapang. Suddenly, there were shouts that "water is rising, water is rising." Due to the trauma from the previous events, mass panic ensued. People who had survived the tsunami were crushed by cars as they panicked.
Witnessing the panic, Cut Putri climbed onto a bus, clinging to the door. She recounted that she resembled Spiderman; she could not get into the bus. She tried to hold onto five people at the bus door to prevent them from falling. She did this for a distance of 1 km. She did not know where the bus was heading. Eventually, she understood that the bus was headed to Medan in North Sumatra. The bus only stopped at a police school (SPN), and the people there had no idea what had happened in Banda Aceh.
After surviving the disaster, Cut Putri realized that she alone had to deliver the recording of the event to the national TV station so that the world would know what actually happened in Banda Aceh. She then headed to the airport and flew to Jakarta's Cengkareng Airport. People at the airport were astonished by her worn-out appearance, barefoot, clothes covered in mud, and numerous bloodstains. Cut Putri recounted the tsunami disaster that had just struck Banda Aceh.
Upon arriving in Jakarta, she immediately went to the MetroTV office near her home to provide the recording. However, she was initially rejected by security personnel due to her disheveled appearance. She went home, rested, and tried again the next morning. When she arrived home, she found a contact number for MetroTV crew on her mobile phone and asked them to come to her house to pick up the recording. Initially hesitant, the crew eventually agreed. That is how the recording went global.
The footage then went viral throughout the world, causing many humanitarian organizations and volunteers to come to Aceh to provide assistance. His determination to record the moments of the disaster made the world know that the disaster was very powerful and terrible. Cut Putri's recording became a kind of 'SOS' sign for the whole world, that Aceh called everyone to care about easing the burden on many people who were having difficulty due to the previously unimaginable earthquake and tsunami that could happen in the current era.