Tsunami: Race Against Time

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 4 piece documentary could have and should have been over 10 episodes. There is so much to look at.

The volunteers who made such a difference alone could be covered.

So many countries not covered.

There are so many golden pieces and parts that broke my heart too.

I was in Thailand that day and it was so weird how the country functioned. How it set to cope.

I've waited 20 years to watch even a 5 minute video of that morning. This is a solid and sensitive documentary. It's not made for money. It's there to show truly what happened and when. I still can't believe it all. Hopefully never happens again.

Throughout this beautifully done series, we see many people stepping up to the plate to help others, grieve over losses, express joy for miracles. And then there is a man whose story is so negative, it is strange that he is proud enough of his actions to be featured in this series. Beyond comprehension that he probably still does not understand how selfish his actions were. When finding himself in the middle an immense disaster, and being someone who has power - instead of reaching out to others, he uses his power to remove himself from the immediate situation and then uses the opportunity to further his career. Unbelievable.

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.

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.