Tsunami story by volunteer Therese - OpenmindProjects Community:OC

On the 26th of December, I was in Koh Chang, on the east side of Thailand, and far from Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Khao Lak. I had spent Christmas with a friend there and Julie, another volunteer, was there with me. That day we got a lot of phone calls and we also made some calls to find out the whereabouts of everybody we knew who was in Thailand at the time. We were lucky, no one we knew and no one from the OPM organization was dead, missing or hurt.

But still we hadn't got the full picture. My family and friends back home knew more about the tsunami then I did and I was here, not that far from where it had happened. The problem we faced was not being able to understand the news on television or the newspapers. Most of the initial information of the tsunami I got came over the phone from home and via the Internet. We also talked to other foreigners and the local Thais during our stay in Koh Chang and almost everybody had a story to tell about someone they knew who was missing or dead.

On New Years Eve, we felt like we usually feel but, of course, some things were different. At 12 o'clock at night, we were a group of friends sitting on mats on White Sand beach on Koh Chang together with hundreds of people, both foreigners from all over the world and Thai people. At 12.00, everybody stood up and sung together and then we hugged anybody whom was near. We were all together in this and where we came from was of no importance.

During the days between Christmas and New Year, I also discussed my next assignment with the OPM organization. From what we had discussed earlier, I was meant to be going down south to work, but I didn't know what would happen now. Finally we agreed on me going to a primary school near Krabi Town, a place far away from the coast and therefore not damaged by the tsunami. But to actually go close to the area where the tsunami had hit the worst in Thailand still felt strange. Even if there were no damaged buildings or injured people, I could still sense it more strongly here. There were missing person posters on the walls, I was asked to sign my name on a list of survivors at the airport and I met people volunteering at the hospital who were helping to match pictures with dead bodies for identification. I also people from the area whom, when they heard that I was from Sweden, said they were so sorry for my country and those of my people who had died.

The first I saw of damaged houses and boats was at Ao Nang, a beach not far from Krabi Town. A couple of restaurants located next to the beach and the local fishing boats had been destroyed. Luckily, no one in Ao Nang had been killed and the tsunami had only reached some 20 meters in overland, so nothing really bad happened on the 26th. The consequences they know now, though. I spent the weekend of 7-9 of January in Ao Nang and there weren't many other tourists. Because of this, the restaurants and shops didn't make any money and many people are now at risk of losing their jobs and their businesses. One restaurant had a sign outside saying "Come in and eat so I can afford to pay my employees their wages." A tsunami can hit in different ways.

During the rest of January, I travelled along the Andaman coast and saw many damaged places but I also saw, just three weeks after the tsunami, some schools that had almost been rebuilt. I also met many wonderful people, both Thais and foreigners trying anything they can to help. Engineering and builder students from a local college working with restoring and rebuilding houses and schools. People donating money, food, toys and all kind of things. People visiting schools, refugee camps and orphanages to see what needs to be done to help the victims in the long run. I met one Portuguese woman who had raised a lot of money with her friends, who now were helping one badly hurt village with water and food. I also met a group of local Thai writers trying to raise awareness about all the people who live far from the tourist areas but who have still lost everything. The small fishing villages along the coast where all the houses and boats are gone.

As I'm writing this, the initial rescue phase is over and the rebuilding phase is well on the way. But there is still a lot to do. There are many small villages who haven't had any help yet and then there are the children who have lost their parents. The last couple of weeks have been different from anything I've ever experienced before and I'm not the same person anymore. Hopefully I'm a better one. "

Written by Thaweesilp L.
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
The first I heard of the tsunami was through the Internet. I checked my emails first and then I went onto Aftonbladets WebPage (a Swedish newspaper) and on the front page was the news about a terrible earthquake in Thailand and thousands of dead and injured people. I just couldn't believe it. I was here now, in Thailand, and I hadn't noticed a thing. This was at one o'clock in the day, just a couple of hours after the tsunami attacked. Slowly it started to sink in what really had happened and how bad it was. Especially when the phone started to ring with people checking if I was alive and well. On the 26th of December, I was in Koh Chang, on the east side of Thailand, and far from Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Khao Lak. I had spent Christmas with a friend there and Julie, another volunteer, was there with me. That day we got a lot of phone calls and we also made some calls to find out the whereabouts of everybody we knew who was in Thailand at the time. We were lucky, no one we knew and no one from the OPM organization was dead, missing or hurt. But still we hadn't got the full picture. My family and friends back home knew more about the tsunami then I did and I was here, not that far from where it had happened. The problem we faced was not being able to understand the news on television or the newspapers. Most of the initial information of the tsunami I got came over the phone from home and via the Internet. We also talked to other foreigners and the local Thais during our stay in Koh Chang and almost everybody had a story to tell about someone they knew who was missing or dead. On New Years Eve, we felt like we usually feel but, of course, some things were different. At 12 o'clock at night, we were a group of friends sitting on mats on White Sand beach on Koh Chang together with hundreds of people, both foreigners from all over the world and Thai people. At 12.00, everybody stood up and sung together and then we hugged anybody whom was near. We were all together in this and where we came from was of no importance. During the days between Christmas and New Year, I also discussed my next assignment with the OPM organization. From what we had discussed earlier, I was meant to be going down south to work, but I didn't know what would happen now. Finally we agreed on me going to a primary school near Krabi Town, a place far away from the coast and therefore not damaged by the tsunami. But to actually go close to the area where the tsunami had hit the worst in Thailand still felt strange. Even if there were no damaged buildings or injured people, I could still sense it more strongly here. There were missing person posters on the walls, I was asked to sign my name on a list of survivors at the airport and I met people volunteering at the hospital who were helping to match pictures with dead bodies for identification. I also people from the area whom, when they heard that I was from Sweden, said they were so sorry for my country and those of my people who had died. The first I saw of damaged houses and boats was at Ao Nang, a beach not far from Krabi Town. A couple of restaurants located next to the beach and the local fishing boats had been destroyed. Luckily, no one in Ao Nang had been killed and the tsunami had only reached some 20 meters in overland, so nothing really bad happened on the 26th. The consequences they know now, though. I spent the weekend of 7-9 of January in Ao Nang and there weren't many other tourists. Because of this, the restaurants and shops didn't make any money and many people are now at risk of losing their jobs and their businesses. One restaurant had a sign outside saying "Come in and eat so I can afford to pay my employees their wages." A tsunami can hit in different ways. During the rest of January, I travelled along the Andaman coast and saw many damaged places but I also saw, just three weeks after the tsunami, some schools that had almost been rebuilt. I also met many wonderful people, both Thais and foreigners trying anything they can to help. Engineering and builder students from a local college working with restoring and rebuilding houses and schools. People donating money, food, toys and all kind of things. People visiting schools, refugee camps and orphanages to see what needs to be done to help the victims in the long run. I met one Portuguese woman who had raised a lot of money with her friends, who now were helping one badly hurt village with water and food. I also met a group of local Thai writers trying to raise awareness about all the people who live far from the tourist areas but who have still lost everything. The small fishing villages along the coast where all the houses and boats are gone. As I'm writing this, the initial rescue phase is over and the rebuilding phase is well on the way. But there is still a lot to do. There are many small villages who haven't had any help yet and then there are the children who have lost their parents. The last couple of weeks have been different from anything I've ever experienced before and I'm not the same person anymore. Hopefully I'm a better one. " Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 118 Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry 0 Comments Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 June 2008 )