The ground shook so hard, people couldn't stand up when the massive earthquake rattled this remote Indonesian island -- the closest inhabited land to the epicenter of the devastating temblor.
But, unlike the hundreds of thousands of others who thought the worst was over when the shuddering stopped, the islanders remembered their grandparents' warnings and fled to higher ground in fear of giant waves known locally as semong.
Within 30 minutes, Simeulue became the first coastline in the world to experience the awesome force of the Dec. 26 tsunami. But only seven of the island's 75,000 people died, thanks to the stories passed down over the generations.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/03/02/2003225170