The President of Indonesia during the 2004 tsunami was Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He had been elected President in 2004, just a few months before the devastating tsunami struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004. The disaster killed over 230,000 people in Indonesia alone and was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Yudhoyono's government faced significant challenges in responding to the disaster and providing relief to the affected communities.