This is a TV recommendation for Tsunami: Race Against Time. A 4-part National Geographic documentary about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - it is one of the best documentaries I've seen in years. Gripping, harrowing, morbidly fascinating - I had no idea of the scale of destruction and devastation of what might be one of the worst natural disasters in my lifetime. Nearly a quarter of a million casualties, it is almost incomprehensible. Most of the footage shown is from handheld video taken by tourists and locals at the time of the disaster, and it is quite shocking. You see these long waves on the ocean that seem almost innocuous. But then when you see the footage of these waves slamming into the coastline and coastal communities, and the vast swathes of destruction and dead bodies lying in their wake, you have an inkling of the devastating power of nature. I feel ashamed of being so uninformed about this disaster - for example, I knew very little about how somewhere like Sri Lanka was so badly affected. I bet if the earthquake and resulting tsunami had occurred in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean (thus affecting first world countries) instead of the Indian Ocean, we would know a lot more about it. This is also a documentary about humanity - particularly as the documentary is predominantly told through the eyes of people who lived through it. It makes you wonder how you would react if, god forbid, you ever had to live through a disaster like this. I like to think that I would be heroic and put my life on the line to save the lives of others. But I think the reality is that I would probably be in a state of shock and disbelief and utterly useless. But let's hope I never have to find out. And the next time I drive alongside the Pacific Ocean, I will pay attention and have a better appreciation for the tsunami evacuation route signs.
