Tsunami. One of the very lucky ones
 

Oh for he grace of god!

Friends of mine went on holiday for 2 weeks to Galle in Sri Lanka for Christmas. They were due to be transfered to another hotel the day the tsunami hit but the transfer was put back a few hours. The hotel they were going to no longer exists.

the one they were staying in was in an old fort and on some higher ground, though 12 people were still killed in the fort.

After the first wave, they like many others, they went out to survey the devastation. She remarked how far the sea had receded, that they were many fish just flapping about on the sand, and how calm it was. Her son said that he had just learnt at school that this was a sign of the trough between surges in a tidal wave/tsunami. Consequently they legged it back to the highest ground possible, the fort. Seems a lot of peolple got caught by the next wave when they were doing just as they had done.

My friend was close to tears telling me about the terrible scenes they saw. They were without fresh water, electricity and any form of communication for a few days until they were moved out. It was only then when they had access to news when they found out the true scale of the disaster.

They were incredibly lucky, but please spare a thought for those what weren't

My daughter and my future son-in-law were around at my house for Boxing Day when we first heard the news. Thoughts instantly turned to his sister who was on her honeymoon in the Maldives. We had an almost unbearably tense few days of silence until we learned that she, and her new husband, were OK.

She is now back in the country and even though the Maldives seemed to be less affected than Sri Lanka, India or the desperate plight suffered by Thailand and Idonesia she has also been very lucky to survive and has witnessed stuff that no-one should have to bear.

I don't think that the world will ever be able to cope with this sort of tragedy, certainly no individual can begin to comprehend the enormity of it all.

Good grief, that one brings it home to you. Think I'm gonna bung a few more quid at the DEC [somber]

I'm sure that there are lot's of people who know of or are related to someone affected by the tragedy and I do feel sorry for them... but for the records:
client and husband in Gall at the time. Both in car and husband needs hospital attention. local man offers to take husband to hospital if client gives all her jewelery to him. Bar Steward then f's off with the goods. Husband makes it to hospital but unfortunately does not survive.:mad:
Stick that on yer news 24 and see who contributes!


I still did 'cos he'll get his cumuppence.

Sickening when people take advantage in situations like that :flame:

I found out on Saturday that my niece was staying in Phuket-luckily in a high rise hotel on the 4th floor-wakes up boxing day to ask her friend if it's the room that is shaking or her! She was ****ed as a parrot and lives in Tokyo so is used to earth tremors-sobered up pretty quick when they went downstairs..................very lucky.

John

As i posted elsewhere, my brother is in Thailand and was scheduled to go to Phuket the day after the disaster. Lucky for once!