"The pictures we saw before we got down here didn't even touch the reality of what it is like being here. We can be right on the beach with all the devastation and still not be able to imagine what it was like when the wall of water actually came up"

This quote speaks to the power of experiencing something face to face. The images we saw prior to reaching the beach did underestimate to the truth of the destruction. Being there in person, we can see the destruction and try to picture what it resembled when the wall of water turned up. It is difficult to really comprehend the magnitude of the catastrophe without being there. The quote emphasizes the value of being present to really comprehend the reality of a scenario. It is a pointer that images and words can just do so much to convey the truth of a situation. Experiencing something personally is the only method to truly understand it.