Getting ready for the next big wave

A man searching debris left by the tsunami for copper wiring in Banda Aceh. — ©2025 The New York Times Company

THE Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, one of the deadliest events in recorded history, was an enigma to many survivors.

Some experts were surprised to learn that a significant number of the people in the path of those lethal waves had never heard of such a destructive phenomenon until it came their way.