Tsunami: Race Against Time

I genuinely believe everyone should watch this documentary.

It's hard to understand the full scope of this disaster until you do. I never realized this tsunami killed a quarter of a million people.

The documentary wasn't pure "doom and gloom." Periodically, this documentary surprises you with people who survived unbelievable odds. Seeing them reunited with their families is extremely heartwarming.

The amount of "new footage" is stunning. Other pieces of media about this disaster focus on Thailand, but 170,000 people in Indonesia lost their lives.

This documentary should make you feel hopeful about humanity. The amount of people who stepped up to save complete strangers is staggering. It reminds you that every day you spend alive is a lucky day.

When i was 7 years old,,,, i was in sunday school every one came out of houses with fear my mom took me from sunday school i was cried loud and she picked me up said don't worry iam from fisherman family that day lot of men went to fishing Thank god tsunami not hit my village every one safe But that fear it was created in 2004 dec 26 still in my mind today 2024 dec you know every year on Dec 26 my village preys to the sea that don't repeat this incident again , save us save this world , show kindness on us.... By the way iam from peda jalari peta visakhapatnam, India.

Sarvejanah sukhino bhavanthu.

This documentary is a combination of footage from the tsunami in many different countries and of present day interviews with survivors and their families, seismologists working during the event, and the media who started to get the word out so rescue crews could begin to go save lives. It strikingly illustrates the enormity of the disaster that killed a quarter of a million people in 2004. The survivor stories balance the horror of what you see in the video footage during the disaster. It is graphic. You will see people being swept away. You will see people you know are about to be killed. You will see dead bodies. You will hear stories of people lost. And you will hear stories of survival, which is is the only thing that keeps the film from being too wrenching to watch.

This documentary tugs on your heartstrings in ways I can't truly express. On one hand what a relief it is to see some happy endings, and on the other the absolute horror at losing your dearest loved ones.

What a brilliant documentary this was, bringing to light and reminding us how cruel nature can be and yet how altruistic human beings are in the face of a disaster. Despite being only a child then in Malaysia, I still remember exactly what I was doing with my family on this very day. Experiencing the realisation of how lucky I am to have been with my family, all of us safe and sound miles away from this disaster truly moves me.

Watching the pain, hurt, grief and relief felt by the survivors as a result of the tsunami makes one realise just how resilient human beings can be. Can't recommend this recount of the 2004 Tsunami enough. Outstanding work!

I think it's an incredible documentary and shows lots of perspectives on this disaster. Still, I wish it was longer and covered all the countries hit. It was covering them sequentially, but suddenly it stops following that timeline. It's a missed potential for sure.

One interesting approach was to show the pacific tsunami warning center perspective on the earthquake. Shows how many things had to be improved in earthquake and tsunami detection and warning centers. In my country in Brazil, especifically my state Rio Grande do Sul, we also went through an unprecedented flood disaster last year and we also didn't have a proper detection nor warnings, getting hit by a disaster suddenly when you're just having a normal day is terrifying. I can only imagine the terror people faced on the tsunami, as it is many times worse.

That said, i really enjoyed all the episodes and i loved the format they chose for it. Quality wise it's top notch and extremely empathetic to the places covered.