On A Boat during the Tsunami
Editor Note: This is a transcript sent to me by Karsten Aichholz, a expat and entrepreneur living in Bangkok. Karsten has a website and podcast about living in Bangkok. Karsten interviewed Daniel Kvarnemo, a then boat excursion guide in Thailand. Today, Daniel is a Social Studies and Swedish teacher in Bangkok.
This transcript is an excerpt of an audio interview with Daniel Kvarnemo who at the time of the tsunami was a guide on a snorkeling excursion boat for tourists in Krabi.
You can listen to the audio version of the interview on the
Surviving a Tsunami episode of the
Brewed in Bangkok podcast. The interview was conducted by
Karsten Aichholz.
Karsten: Where were you at the time?
Daniel: I was working at this company where we were taking people out on a boat and I was one of the two staff in the water. I and a few of the guests were in the water. And then my captain, he starts honking the horn on the ship. I was wondering: Okay what's going on now? But they had mentioned that there might be a bit of current in the water, so I thought okay maybe there's too much current in this part of the sea and we're going to go somewhere else. So I gather up all the tourists and everybody gets up on the boat and they were kind of not too pleased about not being allowed to be in the water but we said oh we're going to go somewhere else.
Karsten: What do you mean they were not too pleased?
Daniel: They were like "well we paid for this and we want to be here". We still didn't know what was going on.
Karsten: So the tourist were like "We paid for this, we want to be in the water?"
Daniel: Yeah, but at this time nobody knew anything of what was happening. So we get on the boat, the captain said we need to go quickly because boats are sinking in Phuket. I'm thinking: That's hours from here, that has nothing to do with us. But he was experienced and wise. We were between Krabi and Phi Phi Island next to an island called Bamboo Island and started going full speed ahead towards Phi Phi.
Karsten: So you were out in the open water basically and you just heard there were like boats sinking...
Daniel: Yeah he heard it on the radio
Karsten: How far were you away from the island?
Daniel: From Bamboo island?
Karsten: Yeah the next closest island, you were seeking shelter there right?
Karsten: Well no we're moving away from Bamboo Island because it's a small flat island and we were swimming distance from Bamboo which is maybe a few kilometers from Phi Phi Islands. We still didn't realize what was going on. At this time I would say the word tsunami didn't mean too much to me and I guess a quite big part of the population. So when we are like between these 2 island Bamboo and Phi Phi, I remember looking to my right and as far as I can see, the whole horizon is just like a white wall. I'm thinking huh, what the F is that?
Karsten: What do you mean - white wall, like...?
Daniel: Yeah as far as the eye can see the horizon is no longer flat and blue with a line between the sky and the sea, instead it looks like a white wall and it's coming towards us.
Karsten: Is it like in the movies where you...?
Daniel: It wasn't fast moving like that you can see, but you look at it and then you realize oh shit it's a big wave coming. So we told everybody put on your life jackets. We didn't have life jackets for everybody, me being a good staff member had to give up my life jacket. Instead put on 2 wet suits gives you buoyancy like floating if you had the wet suits on.
Karsten: How did you feel about that?
Daniel: Well didn't feel too great about it, I'm thinking like oh shit this could be bad.
Karsten: Were you thinking there was a threat to your life?
Daniel: Definitely thinking it's very likely that we're going to get hit by this massive wave coming our way and better be prepared for being in the water.
Karsten: So were you thinking this wave was going to turn over the boat?
Daniel: Definitely thinking it was going to hit the boat and probably toss us over the side yeah.
Karsten: Was that the moment where you're like reflecting on life or...
Daniel: No it didn't go that far, because it was still quite far in the distance and now many years later it's kind of weird to think about it, but I remember everybody put on the life jackets. We stood at the edge of the boat and we brought up cameras and we were filming it, my friend still has the file he says he's going to send it to me. I met him a few days ago and we sort of reminisced about this and we could see when the waves came in, they broke over the reefs, the waves went over the trees at Bamboo Island so definitely if we had stayed there we would have been screwed. But our captain then since he knew what was going on he got us to safety and we were hiding behind Phi Phi sort of sheltered from the swells of the wave.
Karsten: Phi Phi Island which is...?
Daniel: One of the two Phi Phi Islands, Phi Phi Don the big one we were behind a very famous tourist destination which kind of shaped like an hour glass, so there are 2 high peaks and in between there is low ground where you have the beach where most people were staying and most hotels were located. So when the wave struck Phi Phi basically washed away the low lying buildings in the middle.
Karsten: Did you see that?
Daniel: We could not see it from where we were but we heard on the radio people calling for help and assistance, boats sinking and so on. But when that happened we saw the waves crashing over the other islands where we had been and then we waited around, we heard on the radio people asking for help didn't know what was going on really bloody hot December in Thailand sun shining. Then came the tourists not realizing what would happen and they were getting upset when we say like everybody needs to stay on the boat we don't know what's going on, they said oh but we want to go swimming.
Karsten: This was after the wave hit
Daniel: This was after the wave. I can also that I didn't know really it was a tsunami so we saw the wave, I texted my family: "Big F wave. I'm okay.".
Karsten: You texted it after the wave?
Daniel: Yeah and after that connection died. My brother told me afterwards that he was like "Oh what's this?" then turned off his phone. A few hours later it's on TV all over the world basically. But at least then they knew that I was safe. Another weird thing that happened when we were waiting behind the island was that we get like a back draft or a second swell. I guess the water go up on the land and then was going back and when it came back then it kind of rocked the boat again. We waited around there with other boats for many hours, nobody knew what are we going to do. This happened in the morning first in the afternoon we decide okay lets go up to open water again and go back to Krabi main land. So maybe 10 boats or something went around the same time headed to main land and then we could see when we're getting closer to shore we could see broken boats, they were lifting up bodies on the piers.
Karsten: At this point you just knew there was wave, you hadn't seen any impact you just thought: Okay that was a big wave. You had no idea that this wave...
Daniel: Not how bad it had been to an extent no, we could see and heard people crying for help we seen wrecked boats coming in. We saw dead people, like they're lifting dead people up on the pier.
Karsten: Was there a moment when you, it took you to realize those were people or you were like...
Daniel: I don't really have a clear picture of it. It was after sunset when we came in and it was like sort of a little bit in the peripheral field that more like dark shadows lifted up piled up. And then for the next 2 days I volunteered at the hospital. It was obviously unorganized, injured people separated from their families. For me it was okay. I didn't have to deal with identifying bodies like some of my friends who helped out shocked people finding their family members; people have been bloated in the water which was sort of horrible for them. I was just walking around in the hospital asking people for their identification and collecting names and info.
Karsten: You mentioned when this wave first hit, you heard cries for help on the radio, were these in English? Were there in there in Thai? Did you hear like chatter, how did you...?
Daniel: I wasn't in the cabin it was retold to me I think it might have been in Thai and then I was told this is what happened they call in for help and so on. But nobody really dared to go across to the other side, we didn't know what was happening.
Karsten: So the tourists were obviously oblivious to what was going on
Daniel: At least in the beginning yeah
Karsten: And the captain kind of had a hunch, how did the crew react?
Daniel: There were 2 Thai crews and the very experienced Thai captain and his deck hand. And we maybe were like 5 westerners working for this company and then let's say maybe 20 tourists. I think the staff - Thai and western - we more understood there was something serious that had happened and many of the tourists were annoyed about sitting around. They were really hot and sweaty. And after a few hours we started to run out of food and water...
Karsten: Was there like a change in the mood when you started to come back in the harbor and you could see okay this is actually serious, did you see the tourists kind of caught up to the reality?
Daniel: I don't know if I can really remember other people change, but I'm sure that... we did talk to people later we met up days after and later in the evening we all met at the meeting point. And then it sort of dawned on people that it was serious: So serious that it went across to Africa and hundreds and thousands of people died. Because in Ao Nang I think like 2 people died.
Karsten: Ao Nang is...
Daniel: Is in mainland Krabi where you have one of the most famous tourist resort areas.
Karsten: Okay, so once you... how did that feel, you arrived at the harbor and the moment you set back foot on land, what went through your head?
Daniel: Obviously it's a very big sigh of relief, being on mainland you feel safe on land and you can start relax about not being on a ship on the ocean I guess
Karsten: Isn't that a bit ironic, given that the reason you were safe is because you were on a ship?
Daniel: I wouldn't go as far as saying that's why you're safe, some people are safe at the open sea but they're only safe on the open sea if it's deep enough so that the wave doesn't build up.
Karsten: At the time how many days a week were you working?
Daniel: 6 days a week for this company and when I was off I went diving
Karsten: Okay could there have been any constelation where you had been on land like...
Daniel: In Ao Nang it wouldn't have been a problem really. There's a big sea wall down by the beach that took like the biggest hit. And I think it's different angles as well so like some of the beach front shop places were kind of a bit messed up. Long tail boats got destroyed, 2 people died who were out on the next Island but nothing compared to like Phi Phi and Khao Lak and Phuket which were much worse hit.
Karsten: And that's just a distance of like 30-40 km?
Daniel: Might be something like that, it's like a short distance drive.
Karsten: So did that change you, I mean you apparently have been a very active diver at the time, did that change you relationship with the sea did you get afraid of going out again?
Daniel: No I wasn't affected by that I guess it's such a small and unusual event it's nothing that I thought about that it would happen again.
Karsten: So you spent 2 days volunteering at this hospital, taking down details of people and was then there a point where you said I had enough I can't take this anymore or...?
Daniel: No for me that wasn't the point but after like 2 days the government started to get more organized and proper so the help organizations got involved. But the first 2 days many of the victims of this situation they were asking "who are you?", "why are you doing this?" and "it's really got that you do but why isn't the government here, why don't they do anything". The Swedish government actually got a lot of critic about having a delayed response considering how many Swedes are down in Thailand.
Karsten: Did that event change your outlook on some things in life?
Daniel: I don't really think so but of course you're lucky and you appreciate that you had that luck and you realize if you hadn't had this experienced captain I could have been dead basically.
Labels: ao nang, bamboo island, boat, brewed in bangkok, daniel kvarnemo, english teacher, expat, karsten aichholz, khoa lak, Krabi, phi phi don, phi phi island, phuket, survival, swedish expat, swedish teacher, tsunami
TOP STORIES of the Boxing Day Tsunami 10 Year Anniversary
Today, survivors and families and friends of those lost in the Asian Tsunami (Boxing Day Tsunami) commemorated the ten year anniversary of the disaster.
Off and on today, I have been following media for organizations providing great coverage of todays anniversary. Here are some of my favorites:
 |
| European lay flowers for ten year anniversary of Boxing Day Tsunami |
MORE SURVIVOR STORIES including Rina and Mustafa from Aceh,
Indonesia. Mustafa, father of Rina was away when the tsunami hit and thought he
had lost her father. But she survived.
 |
| Before and After picture of Banda Ache |
MORE SURVIVOR STORIES including stories from Louis Cryer,
Zoe Cryer and Felix Cryer in Sri Lanka. And the story of Tom and Arlette Stuip
who were holidaying in Khao Lak, Thailand, along with a photo from Marlene
Lohmann. The story of Kay Howells on Phi Phi Lei – all at:
Labels: 10 year, anniversary, Banda Ache, Felix Cryer, Khao Lak, Louis Cryer, phuket, phuket tsunami survivor, rick von feldt, tsunami, tsunami survivor
Survivors applaud "The Impossible."
It is Sunday evening in
California. This weekend, the movie “The Impossible” (Director Juan Antonio Bayona and screenwriter Sergio G.Sanchez) and starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and TomHolland premier in wide screen at over 500 screens across the USA. As I
mentioned in last weeks blog post, I saw the movie about a week ago, knowing I
wanted – needed – to see this movie before friends and family saw it this
weekend.
As I
anticipated, the weekend has been filled with mixed emotion. A number of family
members, friends, and even strangers attended the movie. And following the
movie, felt compelled to call me or send me emails. Most of their reaction was,
“Rick, I had no idea that is what you went through.”
This
reaction, along with the reaction of movie critics and film goers confirms what
I also believe. The movie is that good. Or better said, “that real.”
This
afternoon, I spent about 45 minutes talking on the phone with another tsunami
survivor. He was also on Khoa Lak, the same beach that Henry (Erique) and Maria
and their three boys were on as dipicted in the film. This is about 15 miles
north of Patong where I and others experienced the same tsunami in Phuket. We
had not talked in three years. But we both knew, as the anticipation of the
release of this film, that we would eventually find a way to call and talk with
each other when this film came out.
One of
the things that both Peter and I agreed on was the small details of the film.
In fact, there were items that we both agreed were so real that we had even
forgotten them from our actual experiences.
For us
both, the film was emotional to watch. Not because we were necessarily thrown
back into the reality of those 72 hours beginning at 9:30 am on December 26,
2004. But because for the first time, we both said, “Now people can actually
understand and feel what it felt like to be in the middle of the tsunami.”
Over the
last 8 years, I have been asked many times to explain “how did it feel to be in
the middle of the tsunami?” Well meaning reporters and friend urge us to
describe the details.
But this
movie “shows” the details.
One of
the best example of how this movie gets it right is in the “swirling debis ofwater.” For so long, I have tried to explain to people how dangerous the water
was. Huge shards of glass from broken out hotel plate glass windows, pieces of
tuk-tuks and huge chunks of pieces of building filled the water. Once a person
asked, “Couldn’t you just swim” in the water. But as this movie so well
describes, it was like being in a washing machine of deadly debris.
The director
and writer also accurately depicted the sense of desperation as mothers,
fathers, brothers and sisters walked around looking for missing loved ones.
Because most people had their personal belongings swept away, they didn’t even
have pictures. And so they were walking around desperately trying to describe
their children or mothers or fathers. And because there were visitors from
around the world, and many were in shock, people would walk right up to you and
start to speak in Swedish or German or Spanish – not even realizing or
understanding that you didn’t understand.
There was
another interesting moment and a poignant moment for me, when Henry Belon (Ewen
McGregor) is shown in the movie calling his wife’s parents. McGregor struggles
to explain that he has lost his wife and two of the children. On the other end
of the line, you hear a father trying to comprehend what he is being told. That
moment in the scene struck me also as very real.
I
remember calling my parents back in Kansas, and trying to explain to them to “not
be worried, but eventually they would see something on the television about a
wave in Thailand, but that I had survived.” I remember her reaction was calm,
almost unbelieving. Like many people in the world, true word and news of the devastation
did not reach mainstream media until 4-6 hours after the first wave had hit.
And even then, news stations like CNN reported that “…25 people had been killed…”
No one knew the level of destruction until days later. The phone call was meant
to tell someone that I was ok. But later, as I reflected on it, it was also a
way to report to the outside world that I had lived. That I was ok.
As I
talked about in my in my initial journal entries, I had a cell phone that
lasted for hours that morning. Over 200 people used the phone to call home to
places all around the world, mostly to say, “I am ok. I am alive.” For days
afterwards, I continued to get return phone calls, asking to talk to people who
had originally used the phone. I had no idea of how to find them or what to
even say. But I would take down a phone number and description just in case.
About 24 hours after the original calls, I started to get phone calls from
individuals who had heard about my phone number from others who had heard from
their loved ones. The cell phones that worked that day were important moments
of comfort for many people that fateful day.
With
other survivors this weekend, we talked about memories of things we had
forgotten. We talked about the splitting of families, and the struggle on
whether to move on to a hospital, or stay were you were to look for missing people.
The movie accurately showed an element that has been a little embarrassing to
discuss up until now. The speed and turbulence of the water as so strong, that
it did remove clothes. IN the movie, Maria Belon is shown with ripped clothes.
But it has been reported that she, like many others, had their clothes
completed stripped away. Standing on the cliff, many survivors came to us
completely naked, and bleeding badly.
We also
talked about the “post 24 hour false tsunami warnings.” The next day, after the
tsunami had struck, there would be moments in which you would be working to
help clear debris, and suddenly, locals around you would start to run. At least
5-10 times, false warnings would be spread via cell phones to other cell
phones. And people would just start running.
There
were other details that the film didn’t show. The amount of dead bodies strewn
about were tough. You see in the movie the rows of them at hospitals or make
shift morgues. Most of that happened after about 24 hours. But before that,
there were bodies jammed into debris everywhere.
Another
item that even some of us as survivor disagreed on, were the number of waves.
From my perspective, the waves, at least in Phuket started at about 10:00 am –
and continued with swells that washed into the streets until 4:00 that
afternoon. The first wave was small, but it was the second wave that was the
tallest and most devastating. The wave you see in the movie made it look like
it was the first wave of destruction. But most of us agree, that the size of
that wave was actually the second. But I did read the real Maria Belon did
agree that the six hours of relentless waves had been consolidated in order to
get on with the movie. Fair enough. But as survivors, we just wanted everyone
to know that water and waves were an issue for the first six hours. And not
only did people lose their lives in those first waves, but they also tried to
make a run for it afterwards, and were also struck and swept away in waves
three, four and five.
ABOUT THE
CONTROVERSY
For the
last 10 days, I have been reading some reviewers who need to point out what
they didn’t like about the film. Most need to point out that the movie skips
over or ignores the emotions of the locals. I don’t think that this is an “and/or”
discussion. This movie was about 5 people and what happened to them. There
could and should be another movie about the amazing local people that were also
impacted by the tsunami. They also felt pain. They also lost loved ones. They
were crying and hurt and scared just like people around us.
After the
tsunami struck, many of the locals left the resort I was staying in. If they
had survived, many had homes inland and left to go be with family. But not
without grief. Most locals had an aunt or uncle or cousin who they knew were
killed that day on the beach. But the process of finding and navigating and
dealing with the process of finding / mourning and deciding what to do next was
very different.
Each of
the survivors I have connected with over the last days applaud this movie. We
have a sense that others are really understanding what we went through. We also
hope future movies can be made of what the locals also went through – not only
in Thailand, but also in the other countries where 220,000 more people were
killed.
It is
likely that many of will have nightmares again for a few days. But the
difference is this time, when we wake up, we can talk to people who have seen
the film, and have a little better idea what we experienced.
Thanks to
the actors Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast for bringing the characters to life.
Thanks to Director Juan Antonio Bayona and
screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez for trying to make it real. Thanks to Maria
Belon for sharing her survivor story with the world.
Because of this, a few of us are a little more healed.
(I invite other survivors to comment on their reaction to the movie. Or others to ask us questions. - Rick Von Feldt)
Labels: Ewan MacGregor, Henry Belon, Juan Antonio Bayona, Khao Lak, Lucas Belon, Naomi Watts, Orchid Beach Resort, survivor Maria Belon, The Impossible, Thomas Holland, tsunami, tsunami survivor, von feldt
"The Impossible" painfully shows the reality of a tsunami
Three days ago, I had the chance to sit in a theatre in
San Francisco to see the limited release of "
The Impossible." I am still trying to pick the best words to describe my reaction to the movie.
But I think that I can speak for tsunami survivors from around the world. This is the first time a movie has captured the chaos, pain and horror of the
2004 SE Asia tsunami.
There are many stories from the tsunami, many of which are captured on this website. This story is just one. For tourists who experienced the tsunami and survived, the movie shows many accurate emotions and realities of what happened. The best may be the feeling of what it was like to be in the swirling "washing machine like" swell of waves and water. And secondly, the sense of grief and frustration by so many people who wandered around for the 72 hours following the first wave, looking for missing family members.
It is not an easy movie to watch - neither for survivors or for movie goers. But it is real. Honest. And worth seeing.
I will post more reactions to the movies over the next several days, and so please check back. And if you were a survivor, and saw the movie, please also share your thoughts and reactions.
I have responded to a few online reviews and articles about the movies including these:
Labels: Ewan MacGregor, Henry Belon, Juan Antonio Bayona, Khao Lak, Lucas Belon, Naomi Watts, Orchid Beach Resort, Sergio Sanchez, survivor Maria Belon, The Impossible, Thomas Holland, tsunami, von feldt, vonfeldt
SURVIVOR John Thompson - Why I was one of the few to survive, I won't ever know.
John Thompson - Khao Lak Tsunami Survivor
Why I was one of the few to survive, I won’t ever know.
John Thompson, Khao Lak Tsunami Survivor
Information from the website of John Thompson. Reproduced
here by permission.
http://www.sonomacountylaw.com/tsunami/index.htm
Copyright ©
2005-2010 John M. Thompson | Contact jmt@pon.net for photo use
permission and questions/comments.
Thailand: 8,245 Dead
Why
I was one of the few to survive I won't ever know. My fortune was partially due
to luck and partially due to a few calculated gambles. This website tells the
story of how I survived one of the world's most destructive natural disasters
in modern history.
Having
narrowly cheated death, I am left with a sense of extreme optimism for my
future. Perhaps because I came so close to losing everything, that now every
day of life seems like a new beginning. Being laid off from my job upon my
return home was not a crisis. Combined with surviving the tsunami I saw it as
an opportunity to reassess where my life has been going and how I could rebuild
my career in a meaningful way.
This
website is dedicated to the memory of the thousands who were less fortunate
than I on the fateful day of 26 December 2004. Special thanks go to those I was
with during and after the disaster - Petra, Bob, and Timothy.
Here is a timeline of what happened to me those days in Khao Lak, Thailand.
Saturday, 25 December 2004 16:53:25
Arrived at Khao
Lak. Explored area north of bungalow at Khaolak Orchid Beach Resort.
Enjoyed Christmas
dinner at Ristorante Da Gorgio and then later had desert at a beach front bar.
Sunday, 26 December 2004 08:00
While laying on
mattress, contemplating whether or not to sleep in longer, felt vibrating
sensation for about two minutes. Did not think it was an earthquake and thought
nothing of it after vibrating stopped.
9:00 Enjoyed breakfast at Mai's Quiet Zone on open patio overlooking the
beach. Watched two boys from English family I had met when checking in the
previous day playing frisbee in the waves.
9:45 Stopped by motorbike rental shop and paid 200 Baht for one more rental
day.
10:00 Purchased souvenir shirt and
some food at market across the street from motorbike rental shop.
10:10 Began motorbike journey with eventual goal of checking out the Poseidon
Bungalows which had been recommended to me. Also intended on visiting the Ton
Pling Waterfall on the way.
10:17 Unsuccessful attempt at finding "View Point" as listed on the
map. Continued driving down the road.
10:21 Parked motorbike at Sea Gull Andaman Resort and walked down to inspect
beach and what appeared to be an extremely low tide.
10:26:16 Noticed wooden longtail boat struggling in the water and eventually
turn over. Also saw many people standing on the shore looking at something,
which I then assumed was the struggling boat (but in retrospect I think they
were looking at the approaching wave or the bay empty of water). Took camera
out of bag to take picture of boat.
10:26:23 Seven seconds later: After taking picture of boat, the bay had already
completely filled with water and I took picture of what I thought was just an
extra large wave.
10:27:14 Fifty two seconds later: When I realized the wave was not stopping at
the shore I and others at the beach began running as fast as possible. Since I
already had the camera out, I took a picture over my shoulder as I ran, hoping
to capture the rushing wave.
Running from the Waves - Photo by John Thompson
10:28:04 Fifty seconds later: It was obvious that the wave was not stopping and
that I was not going to be able to outrun the wave so I ran up the front
entrance to the nearest big building, dodging falling roof tiles, and hoping
that the building would not be washed away or collapse. Took photo of now
flooded street as I ran into the hotel.
10:31:41 Climbed up on wooden balcony railing and prayed I was high enough above
the water. The water eventually came up to the top of the railing and then
started receeding. Started taking photos as the water drained out.
View of the Courtyard - Photo by John Thompson
Woman on mattress in the water
2004 11:01:04 Sought refuge in alcove at highest point in the building. Was bracing
for additional waves which never came.
John Thompson, On the Roof - Waiting for the water to recede -
Photo by John Thompson
12:04:16 Almost 2 hours after seeing the struggling boat, the water finally
drained out far enough so that it seemed safe to walk out.
Walking Through The Rubble - Photo by John Thompson
12:20:34 Hitched ride on a passing pickup truck back into main beach of Khao
Lak. Photographed some of the devastation as seen from the road.
Sunday, 26 December 2004
14:11:14 Photographed what was believed to be a second wave but which turned out
to be a false alarm. Spent the rest of the day and night in safety on top of
high hill.
Monday, 27 December 2004
09:27:39 After being scared back to the hill by several false alarms, Tim and I
finally made our way through the wreckage to retreive some of his belongings
from his third floor hotel room before beginning hike out of the area.
11:26:50 During another false alarm we were driven to military staging area
where we were finally taken by private car to a bus station to catch VIP bus to
Bangkok.
Friday 31 December 2004
06:59:32 Solomon and I inspected donated goods at military side of Bangkok
airport while waiting for transport plane back to Krabi.
Saturday 1 January 2005
09:39:23 Distributed donations to owners of damaged longtail boats in Krabi
area.
Saturday 1 January 2005
12:18:37 First return vist to Khao Lak area to determine extent of damage.
Toured area and local hospitals with Jenny, a relief worker for American
medical aid organization.
Sunday 2 January 2005
12:18:25 Toured ruined resort island of Phuket. Photographed destruction at
Patong beach.
Daily Collection of recently found bodies - Photo
by John Thompson
Uncovered bodies waiting to be identified - Photo
by John Thompson
Monday 10 January 2005
14:55:03 Second return trip to Khao Lak. Distributed thousands of dollars of
relief aid to refugee camp near Takua Pa.
Tuesday 11 January 2005
09:08:11 Final bit of aid work. Distributed donated money to Monitee Temple in
Krabi.
Saturday 22 January 2005
07:12 Returned
home to California after continuing trip to southern Thailand, Malaysia, and
Singapore.
December 26, 2005
MY STORY – ONE YEAR LATER
After coming
within 15 seconds of an almost certain death one year ago today, one of the
most common questions I am asked is "How did that experience change your
perspective on life?" To answer that question, I look back on how I have
lived during this past year.
As all people realize who come so close to loosing
everything, the only thing that really matters is life. While it is nice to
have physical things without life none of those things matter. In recognition
of this simple premise, I try to make the most of life, by continuing to travel,
mixing work with play when possible, and developing new hobbies.
After returning from Thailand, I spent some
additional time traveling, spending a month in Peru exploring the Amazon and
climbing peaks high in the Andes. In May I came into possession of a new
sailboat and have sailed almost every weekend since then. Beginning in July I
started working again as an attorney. Although I currently work for a law firm,
I continue to explore other career opportunities.
As for the future, I am sure the lessons from the
tsunami will stay with me forever. Not one day has gone by where I have not
somehow been reminded of the traumatic and overwhelming events of one year ago.
I have not been able to answer the question as to why I survived when over
223,000 people did not, inlcuding the fact that 80% of Thailand's tsunami
casualties occured in Khao Lak.
Labels: John Thompson, Khao Lak, Krabi, Monitee Temple, Orchid Beach Resort, Takua Pa, tsunami, tsunami survivor
Stories of Survivors and Change after 8 years
Indonesia TsunamiSurvivor Returns To Home After 7 Years
15 year old Meri Yuranda was separated from her father and sister in Banda Aceh Indonesia during the tsunami. As an 8 year old, she was taken in by a women that made her beg on the streets. Later, she returned to her village of Meulaboh and found her family. A remarkable survivor story. Watch here.
Kids talk about what life was like in Indonesia when the tsunami hit. Unicef is helping restore life for the kids. Before the tsunami, military conflict made it difficult to even go to school. Now that has all changed. Watch the video here.
How has the Maldives Islands recovered after 8 years?
The tsunami hit the Maldives very hard. Life was difficult for the kids. How have people survived on the Maldives Islands, where 70% of the GDP was affected by the tsunami. 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Eight years later, there is still much damaged not repaired. Many people still live in camps due to entire islands and villages being destroyed. Watch here. Labels: Maldives, Meri Yuranda, Meulaboh, tsunami, unicef
WHAT ARE TSUNAMI SURVIVORS FEELING?
Forty-eight hours have passed since the Japan tsunami swept through Northern Japan. Tens of thousands of people are in emotional and physical turmoil right now in Japan.
Over the last hours, friends and several news show have contact me. In trying to help the world understand what is going on, they have asked me, "Rick, what are people feeling and thinking right now?"
My goal is to help people "feel" what survivors are feeling. It is one thing to see the horrific news clips on television. But I want everyone to at least try to understand what people are feelings at this moment.
When we watch television, we see numbers like "9,500 missing." But we are not sure if we should be thankful or sad. What we don't see are numbers like, "500,000 people have had their family, homes and lives taken away." And we don't get to see how they are feeling.
From my minutes and hours of being in the middle of the tsunami, to the hours and days afterwards in Thailand in 2004, I know what it feels like. There are so many emotions running through your body - your head - your soul. You can't even process all of them. One minute, you feel such sadness and loss. Then it becomes overwhelming, and you just sit and stare. Likely in shock. Then you try to think your way out of it - until it just becomes overwhelming again. And then you start the cycle all over again.
Based upon my minutes, hours and days after the SE Asia tsunami, here are some of the emotions and feelings people are likely experiencing right now in Japan.
SHOCK - mostly, it is beyond belief. Your brain nearly shuts down, and you almost feel that the only thing to do is to just get from one minute to the next.
FEAR OF ANOTHER ANY SECOND NOW - You are scared. Your brain tells you that if this one happened, then other will happen. In Thailand, at least 8 successive "waves" came into shore. On the television, they show the main wave over and over. But in the hardest hit areas, the waves go back and forth, as the water settles. And each time the wave comes back, even though it looks smaller than the last, it still rushes in, and pulls back with it more lives, buildings and hope. In Japan - the complication is even worse. Reports are that this "tsunami" is actually the result of a "aftershock" from an earthquake that happened over the previous two days. Everyone was used to these earthquakes. They had been happening. But this time, it causes such great destruction. And now, making the loss worse, is the feeling that the start of every tremor will simply get longer, stronger, and create yet again another tsunami - this time perhaps even stronger and more devastating.
Sidenote: When you move or travel in Japan, you never forget your first earthquake. For me, it was in 1997. I had arrived to work for a year. My first earthquake happened early in the morning. I was awakened by the shaking. I jumped up, and ran into the room of the family with whom I was staying. The mother spoke no English. All I could do was to look into her eyes to see if I could see fear. She did not look alarmed. And so, I could also calm down. Over time, I could always rely on the faces and the eyes of the Japanese to have an intuitive sense if this was going to be a bad earthquake. Fortunately for me, while in Japan, I never experienced a bad one. However, 48 hours ago, it was different. I talked to a colleague in Japan. He told me that this earthquake started out like normal. But this time, after 15 seconds, everyone looked into each others eyes. The earthquake started to get stronger. And longer. And this time, they looked into each other's eyes, and knew this one was going to be really bad.
NIGHT TIME IS THE WORSE - For so many reason, night time is the most frightening of all. First of all, the power is out all around you. And if you have some sort of power to make light, like oil or laterns or candles, you use them sparingly, not knowing for sure if you will need them for hours or days to come. But what is amazing is "how dark, dark really is." I never knew how dark things could be until you have a devastation that results in power loss. When every street lamp, car light or house light is out - then things are so pitch black that you can't even see in front of you. And your sense of hearing takes over. And what do you hear? Not cars or engines. Because nothing is moving. All you hear is the sound of water nearby. The rushing of waves. And that is the scariest thing of all. Your mind starts to play tricks on you. You wonder if another wave is coming. If it will be larger than the last. You think you are safe. You are on high land. But what if another wave comes even higher. This time, you won't even be able to see it. And all you can hear is the water.
FEAR ABOUT THE DEAD. It is something few ever experience in their life. But when you know that dead people are around you, it really scares you. You know that the water around you contains hundreds or thousands of dead people. In the light, before sunset, you could see the bodies floating in the water. And then waves would come, and take them away. And then more bodies would appear. A part of you becomes numb in seeing the dead bodies. But they are also frightening. Horror movies of your past, and religious views make you wonder about those bodies. And worse, if you have people that you have lost, then you are not sure if you should go look at those bodies or stay way. And if you stay away, what kind of respect are you showing. Yet, if you go to the bodies, what can you do?
FEAR ABOUT ELECTRICAL THINGS - After a tsunami hits, the power is out. You look around, and think, nothing is working. But electrical cables and wires are hanging everywhere. Your instinct makes you think that at least one of those wires will be live. Or how can they just shut off one of those wires. Or what happens if one of those wires are touching water, than happens to be connected to a puddle that you are standing in. And so, you nearly feel paralyzed about walking around, for fear that any move you make will electrocute you.
THE GOSSIP that happens is amazing. When all cell phones are knocked out, or jammed, no one knows who to believe. In the 72 hours after the SE Asia tsunami, people were walking around the destruction near the beach. And suddenly, everyone would just start to run. Everyone would run inland. And then you were faced with the dilemma. You had hear that no more tsunamis were coming. Yet, surely, someone had heard something. If you ran, then you ran in illogical fear. If you stayed, then you might not be seeing what someone else was seeing. At least 3-4 times when this happened, you would ask, "who said something was coming…" And often, the answer was "The Police." Yet no one knew which police. Perhaps it was a one policeman who said, "We have to be careful" - and that message was transferred multiple times until it was repeated as "Run!" Or perhaps it was some well meaning policeman trying to keep order on the beach, and so he simply thought it was a better method to say, "Another tsunami might be coming."
I would imagine the same thing is happening in Japan. But they have so much more to deal with. They have had tens of aftershocks. They have hear explosions. And now, they have rumors and realities of nuclear power plants melting down. The fear of the next destruction must be so high.
YOU WONDER IF ANYONE KNOWS. For the 24-78 hours, you wonder if the rest of the world know. When you are cut off from television and cell phones and electricity, you just wonder. You know that some help is starting to come around. But you get this feeling inside of you that, "If people really knew the level of devastation, they would be coming in with food and helicopters and ambulances." But when you look around, the rest of the world does not seem urgent. So perhaps, they don't really know. But then again, your perspective of what is urgent is so skewed that it is impossible to even trust your own reality.
FOOD AND DRINK. You really aren't hungry. At least in your mind. But your stomach begins to grumble. And because you can't think about the big things, you begin to wonder about food. And water. Every bottle of water - every packet of food becomes an instant treasure. And you know that without power, everything will begin to spoil quickly.
In Phuket, about 12 hours after the last of the big waves, we sent scavenger crews out to raid minibars on the hotel beaches. We sent them for water and softdrinks. They returned with little water, softdrinks and alcohol. And even then, you are having this odd moral dilemma in your own brain If you take things from a washed out hotel room, are you stealing? Do the rules of stealing change when you are just trying to find food and drink? Are you only making things worse?
THE SMELL - Within 24 hours, something bad begins to happen. Decay starts to set in. And the sell comes. It comes from decaying plantlife that has washed ashore. It comes from fishes from the sea that were swept in with the wave, but not taken away on the return to the sea. It comes from rotting food. And animals. And people. In Phuket, the smell started in pretty quickly, because the temperatures were in the 80+ degree F. range. As you would walk by piles of debris, a strong smell would come from beneath. And you walked on quickly, fearing what might really be under that pile of rubble. The other thing you could also smell - and see - were oil and gasoline slicks. Whether it was from cars or heating oil or tankers - there seemed to be a sheet of oil on the water and ground around you. Which then made your mind wonder, "Will that all start on fire?"
THE BUGS follow the decay. In Thailand, as well as in Japan, they spray much and often for mosquitoes. Once the small puddles of water pooled, the bugs followed. And then you became very concerned of the diseases you might get from those bugs.
CRYING BABIES - I can remember that so many children were crying. They would cry non-stop. If the parents were in shock, then children are just confused. And they are disrupted. There is not way they can make sense of what is going on. They want their normalcy. They want a family member they may not be able to have. They want sleep. And yet, they are denied it. Instead, they look around and see adults crying. And they are confused. And so they just cry and cry and cry.
FITS OF CRYING FOR ADULTS. Most of the time, you are just trying to think of the next moment. But for individuals who have lost things - all they can grasp is how much in life they have just lost. Likely, theh are missing at least one family member. And gone is their home, their possessions, Their home. Their car. Realization begins to set in. You have lost everything. Memories. Homes. Livelihood. People. Neighbors. And your emotions are all over the place. You go from being thankful to be alive to the realization of what you have lost. And you cry for both. You cry to yourself. You cry on the arms of shoulders of people around you. You just cry.
SADNESS FOR THE YOUNG AND THE OLD - There is a gnawing feeling that you don't want to accept. You look around, and realize that there are not many young. And many old. And you instinctively know that it is because they are gone. They didn't make it.
AND YOU WONDER IF YOU COULD HAVE DONE MORE - after awhile, while sitting in shock, you begin to wonder what else you could have done. Whom else you could have saved. Could you have screamed louder. Grabbed more people? Run faster?
SURVIVOR LISTS become an obsession. You become desperate to know about the people you are missing. You just hope - pray - that they are somewhere else. And then the rumors begin about the survivor lists. You hear about locations where people are gathering You here there are long lists of names and you know - just know - that the people you are missing are on those lists. You say you will go find those lists. But then you sit down again, feeling paralyzed to do so.
COMMERCE BECOMES CONFUSING - If a store has survived, then it is a prized place because it might have food and water. And so families and employees go there to guard the supplies. But then people start to show up - needing and wanting food. Yet, for most, items like money and credit cards are gone. And so, for shop keepers - they are torn between if they should offer food or really only sell it.
HOW DO YOU HELP?
Well - those are only a few of the emotions that people feel in the hours after a tsunami. I have not visited them in so many years - seven to be exact. But they are all still there. They are real memories. And seeing the paces and destruction of the people on the coast North shores of Japan, I see in their eyes that they are feeling it too.
For Japan, the culture of organization and preparation adds to the complexity. In a culture where everything is so prepared and organized and calm, I am sure things are even more overwhelming than ever.
What can you do? Just understand. If you meet someone who has gone through the tsunami, have patience. When they are ready to talk, they will talk. If you are a survivor, and are ready to share you story, share it here for others to read.
And lastly, just hug your loved ones tonight!
Labels: japan tsunami, rick von feldt, survivor lists, tsunami, Tsunami shock
