Building Hope Amid Natural Disaster

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Residents together with the victims of the tsunami in Carita join the Istighosah and Joint Prayer at Jami Al Khusaeni Mosque, Carita, Pandeglang, Banten, before the turn of the year, Monday (31/12/2018) evening until Tuesday (1/1/2019) morning. New Year’s Eve in Carita, usually full of joy, was plagued with grief.

Rain drenched Carita Beach in Pandeglang, Banten, on Monday (31/12/2018) night. Sanih, 45, intoned a prayer while holding prayer beads in his right hand at Al-Khusaeni Mosque in Carita. He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Together with hundreds of other survivors of the Sunda Strait tsunami, Sanih prayed fervently for a return to normalcy. Adults and children packed the mosque, and their chants reverberated through the falling rain.