Twenty years ago on December 26, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake triggered massive tsunamis across the Indian Ocean, sending waves slamming into the coasts of 14 countries with devastating power. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami was one of the deadliest disasters in modern recorded history, killing an estimated 230,000 people and affecting millions. The initial earthquake struck off the western coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, on the morning of Boxing Day. Others had no idea what was happening as the ocean withdrew, exposing the seafloor - a natural warning sign of a possible tsunami approaching. The horror of the tsunami endures two decades later with communities that have since rebuilt and families who lost loved ones still bearing the scars.

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Organizations: Atmospheric Administration Locations: Indonesian, Sumatra, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Seychelles, Somalia, Indonesia’s Aceh