Bonjour
Cet article publie est la reponse a nos questions : que s'est-il passe sur l'ile de Ko Lanta une heure apres notre depart. Vous pouvez lire l'article ici bas ou aller le lire directement sur leur site a l'adresse suivante. Vous pourrez egalement voir une carte de Ko Lanta et deux photos avant/apres.

http://www.uncommonthought.com/mtblog/archives/122904-the_tsunami_from_ko_.php#011476
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The Tsunami from Ko Lanta Thailand


We received an email from some friends of our daughter. They were at Ko Lanta, Thailand where it is estimated several hundred are dead. We were all very worried about them, and very relieved to hear from them. I want to share the email with you as it is an excellent description of what happened. (I have added the map and pictures.)

Ko Lanta is off the coast of Thailand near Phuket



The e-mAIL...

We were staying on a mile long stretch of white sand beach that has about 10 to 15 resorts, all with their own restaurants and bars. There are also about 4 different Thai Massage structures along the beach. Around 9 in the morning, the day after X-mas, a set of about 10 white water rollers headed to our beach. Not big at all, but stranger than any wave I had ever seen. Even the locals were in awe. After they retreated, the tide rose about 70-80 feet up the beach within a couple minutes. It rushed around people sun bathing, tables and chairs, platforms, the beached long tail boat (SS Yob Yalp) that we helped raise out of the ocean only a couple weeks before. The water rose so much that everything made of wood began floating to the sea.

We started pulling everything we could to higher ground. The locals tied the boat to a tree and still the water rose. Just when it reached the deck of the Sandy Beach Restaurant, about a hundred and twenty feet away from the normal tide line, it suddenly raced back towards the sea, further back than I have seen it in the 3 or 4 weeks I have been there. Within another few minutes the water rose back to the Sandy Beach. People were tripping out, some played in the water by the edge, others went swimming, I just watched. Suddenly it became very quiet. When I looked out to sea I saw the first wave coming in. I think everyone was in shock because we all just sat there watching as it began to grow as it closed in. Suddenly we were all running. I heard the crash behind me and looked back to see this wave rip through everything in its way. Stuff and things were just launched into the air and then swallowed up. I just made it out of range, but found myself standing in sea water about 10 bungalows back. When the water receded everybody walked back to the ocean, including myself. I looked in the restaurant and saw that all the tables and chairs were smashed against the back wall. Two of the massage places were completely gone. Some people were cut up pretty bad from all the crap in the water. The people that had been swimming were gone.

The ocean level rose, fell and rose again. The second wave came about 10 minutes later and was even bigger. Again people began to run. The second wave broke into the Sandy Beach, completely destroying it. The deck was twisted up into itself, the Long Tail Yob Yalp was thrown into a Bungalow where a German family had been staying. Luckily they were not inside. About six bungalows in our resort were thrown off their foundations, some completely collapsed. Everyone left for higher ground and spent the night where they could. The Thai people stayed extremely calm and light hearted, even those who had just lost everything. They all pulled together and brought food, water and blankets to the makeshift camps and for the most part charged no money. They are a truly kind people. When I returned to the beach the next day, a few of us walked along the entire beach. The damage was unreal. Every single restaurant was demolished and many bungalows were as well. Not one massage place remained. I saw a catamaran crumpled into what was left of the Ozone Bar and The Somewhere Else Restaurant, our favorite was completely gutted.

Some people died and others are missing. Hopefully many will be found. The locals remained in good spirits and began to immediately clean up. Many of us helped, and within two days, much has been
accomplished. It is starting to look nice again.