After the Tsunami : Women and Land Reforms in Aceh

On Boxing Day morning, 2004, a 9.3
magnitude earthquake struck the Indian Ocean. The quake
unleashed a blast of energy and created a tsunami three
stories high. The disaster claimed more than 228,000 lives,
affected 2.5 million others and caused close to US $11.4
billion of damage in 14 countries. By far the highest price
was paid by Aceh, where more people died than in all the
other countries combined. In Banda Aceh, the capital of the
province, the tsunami claimed nearly a third of the
population. More than 800 km. of coastline was affected and
close to 53,795 land parcels were destroyed. The land
administration system sustained significant damage as
documentation of land ownership was washed away. Physical
boundary markers, including trees and fences, also
disappeared. The tsunami and earthquake not only shattered
housing and other coastal infrastructure, they also shook
the foundations of Acehnese society and the social capital
built up over decades.