20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami: Natalia Wörner was in Thailand and survived the disaster
It was one of the worst natural disasters in recent human history. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami. Many people still have the terrible images from back then in their minds.
Actress Natalia Wörner experienced the tsunami first hand – and survived. In a ZDF documentary she talks about how she succeeded and what happened next for her.
Natalia Wörner survived
At the time of the disaster, Natalia Wörner was vacationing in Khao Lak, Thailand, with her boyfriend – Canadian actor Robert Seeliger. They actually wanted to fly back to Bangkok that day, but then disaster struck.
The couple survived the tsunami unscathed. The experience apparently bonded the two together: in 2006 they had a son and decided to get married. But the marriage only lasted until 2008.
Help and donations for the victims
During the disaster, the two became first responders. In a ZDF documentary, Natalia Wörner remembers the chaos and overwhelming demands on site:
We wanted to take five seriously injured people to a hospital with our driver and they turned us away as soon as we turned onto the site because there was a lot of chaos.
Back in Germany, the actress decided to continue helping the victims. Together with others, she founded Tsunami Direct Aid and collected 300,000 euros, which went directly to the countries affected by the flood disaster. Among other things, they were used to rebuild schools.
Feelings of guilt plagued her
In the documentary, Natalia Wörner talks about how she directly experienced the catastrophe:
It was almost unbearable for me that day to see these people, to see their suffering and the many corpses.
She was also plagued by feelings of guilt “because you were unharmed in a situation that was fatal for many people.”
And: The flood disaster has changed their relationship with water. Before the tsunami, she was never afraid of the water.
That actually changed completely after the tsunami. I couldn’t be near water for a while. And not only the water itself, but also the noises were almost unbearable for me.
The disaster of 2004
On Boxing Day 2004, at 7:58 a.m. local time, the seabed off the Indonesian island of Sumatra rose ten meters. At that point in time, no one suspected that such a major natural disaster would begin here.
What happened next went around the world in pictures. One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded unleashed a tidal wave more than 1,000 kilometers long that hit the coasts of several countries unabated. Waves over 30 meters high devastated entire areas of the country.
More than 230,000 people from 50 different countries died from the tsunami and its consequences – including 537 Germans. Coastal regions in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand were worst affected.
Documentary remembers the tragedy
ZDF looks back on what happened with the documentary “Survived! Tsunami 2004”. In the film, contemporary witnesses report how they survived the tragedy and how that day changed their lives.
The documentary clearly shows the impact the tsunami had on the affected countries. In Thailand, for example, the authorities registered the danger, but did not issue any targeted warnings. A mistake that cost many people their lives. One of the most modern early warning systems has now been set up in the region to detect another tsunami more quickly.
The ZDF documentary about the 2004 tsunami is currently in ZDF media library to see.
20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami: Natalia Wörner was in Thailand and survived the disaster
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20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami: Natalia Wörner was in Thailand and survived the disaster
