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Phuket Tsunami Disaster: A story of survival

Posted by Terrance Mann

When I woke up that fateful morning of December 26th it was well past 10 a.m. I had no idea of the chaos that had transpired less than an hour before. A frantic phone call from a friend inquiring on my well-being filled me in on the breaking news. Immediately my thoughts shifted to that of my friend, Steven (name changed upon request), a 33 year old South African who lives in Patong and was known to take early morning strolls along the beach. After being unable to contact him for the next two days, word had finally reached me that he had survived the tsunamis, and that he was on the beach when the waves had struck. I was finally able to meet with him today, and he told me of the harrowing experience that he has gone through. This is Steven's story:

"I awoke early that morning just after 7 a.m., to a beautiful day. I had my morning coffee and cigarette and gazed out the window to see the sun shimmering off a perfectly flat sea. I felt a small tremor and in my mind I mockingly compared it with the daily earthquakes I experienced in Taiwan. It was so small, that I didn't take much notice of it at all.

I remember thinking that this must be one of the most beautiful mornings that I've ever seen since moving to Phuket just over 3 months ago. An hour or so later I took my motorbike down to my favourite spot on the beach, where I had befriended a local Thai family who operated a small business there. I spent most of my weekend mornings coming to this spot to swim and play with the lovely children of this family. It was something I looked forward to, as this wonderful family sort of adopted me and let me into their lives.

Sometime after 9 a.m., the water from along Patong Beach started to rapidly empty out of the bay, the whole process took anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. The beach was very quiet that morning, and the few people who were there (tourists and working Thais) stood in amazement at this natural phenomenon. Many of the Thai people ran out into the bay to collect the hundreds of fish flopping wildly around. In what must have been only a few minutes later, far off in the distance we could see this mounting wall of water rushing steadily toward the beach. I stood there astonished, just like those around me, and took some pictures of this puzzling event. By the time I had realized the danger I was in, it was too late, and the massive wall of water was already upon us. Those last few seconds on my feet, I vividly remember the sound; it was as loud as a freight train barreling down upon you.

The sea whisked me off my feet and through me some 200 meters backwards onto the beach road. I landed directly under a black SUV type of vehicle, a jeep of some sort, and I was stuck. I struggled in every direction to no avail. Lying underneath the truck submerged in water, I had figured that this was the end. But, just when my hope began to fade, a 2nd surge of water struck and lifted the truck off of me, and shot me further back towards the shops standing on the far side of the road. As the frothing, churning river carried me I had to duck, so my head wouldn't strike the ceiling of the shop and I eventually grabbed onto a jet-ski that was swirling around within the small building. Shortly after, the force of the water smashed through the back wall of the shop and I lost hold of the jet-ski and was carried through the broken wall into a hotel courtyard. For the 1st time the water receded and I could actually feel my feet touching the ground. I was about waist deep in the water. An older Thai man was also swept into the courtyard with me. I asked him if he was all right and he gave me the thumbs-up.

I proceeded back onto the main road, where many others like me came out to see if they could find missing loved ones. Many thought the ordeal was finally over. As I hobbled down the road, completely tired and ready to give up, the disaster finally had sunk in. I saw people wildly running in all directions, and piercing screams warning those around that another wave was on its way.

Another wave struck, and once again, I was picked up off my feet as the water consumed the road and swallowed everything in its path. I was carried across the road straight towards a basement supermarket.
I was able to latch onto a railing, holding on with what little strength I had left. A few meters down from where my railing was, I could see people kicking and screaming as they were pulled down into the basement of Ocean Plaza, where surely they drowned. If I hadn't grasped onto the railing, I too would have been sucked down into that basement tomb. As I clung onto the railing, a giant fridge was thrown into me from the side, pinning my left ankle between the fridge and the railing. The pressure was so fierce and the pain was so intense I thought my ankle would surely snap. Again the water receded and I managed to push the fridge away from me. Then, another surge came, and washed me down an alley towards a tree where I was able to pull myself up onto a roof of a hotel. I found a window, and pounded on it for someone to open. A man had heard the commotion and let me in.
Finally, I had found my salvation.

I surveyed my wounds, and luckily I had only suffered cuts and bruises, though there was one bad gash on the bottom of my heel. I sat there for several hours, staring at disbelief at what had just happened with a dreadful thirst. An older foreign lady was trapped under some debris and her husband was swept into the Ocean Plaza basement. She franticly and hysterically screamed for her drowned husband to come back.

I finally decided to walk back down to the road so I could head back home. I struggled down the road shoeless, absorbing the heart-wrenching sights around me. A truck filled with Thai people was working its way along the road and stopped to see if I needed help.
They told me to get in so they could take me to the hospital to treat my wounds. The back of the truck was filled with victims of the disaster, most of which look destined for death. I later decided against going to the hospital, as there were likely other people who needed medical care much more than me.

I proceeded to walk on foot, towards my house some kilometers away. A middle-aged Thai lady stopped me and looked at my bloody feet. She insisted that I take her shoes, and she wouldn't let me refuse. I still wear my "Angel" shoes today. I eventually flagged down a young Thai man and he gave me a lift home on his motorcycle."

Terrance: Well, thank you Steven for that truly incredible story. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to retell it. How is your physical health? How has your recovery been?

Steven: I'm still full of cuts and bruises but it could have most definitely been much worse. The wounds are only superficial really.

Terrance: You have only been in Thailand for over 3 months now, has this disaster changed your opinions on Thailand and its people?

Steven: Thai people are wonderful. As a foreigner living on a resort island, often you only see the business side of the Thai people, but on that day I saw how truly compassionate and caring they really are. They risked their own lives to help perfect strangers. I also saw many tourists risking their lives to save fellow tourists and Thais as well.

Terrance: Tell us about that "Angel" you met on the street, the Thai lady who gave you her shoes.

Steven: She couldn't speak any English, but she kept on pointing at her shoes and at my bloody feet. I refused to take them and actually started to walk away. Then she ran up to me, and put her shoes on my feet and wouldn't let me refuse.

Terrance: How are you coping with the mental aspect of the disaster?

Steven: It just hit me yesterday, when I returned from Bangkok. I went there to replace my passport that was lost along with all the money I had, and on the way back, on an empty plane, the reality of the whole event finally sunk in. But something happened to me in Bangkok, which deeply touched me. Just before I left for Bangkok, I met this couple who were also from South Africa. They were planning on returning home immediately from Phuket, but when they found out I was penniless and that I had to go to Bangkok to replace my travel documents, they postponed their departure to Johannesburg for 2 days to accompany me to Bangkok and to look after me. During the disaster, these people saved a little Thai girl from certain death, but still had the compassion and humanity to take care of a distraught, fellow South African. I am truly grateful.

Every single day since, a mental picture of the disaster plays off in my mind's eye, and I remember different details of how truly close to death I was, and how lucky I am to still be here today. Many people around me died. I am blessed, to walk away from this whole thing with only minor injuries.

Terrance: What have you lost from this disaster?

Steven: I lost all my money, my passport, my bank cards and my motorbike. But at the end of the day you realize that material things mean absolutely nothing when you've been so close to dying.

Terrance: Thank you so much for your story Steven, and as your friend, thank you so much for being alive.

Posted Jan 03, 2005 at 04:04 PM | Permalink |