Tsunami Survivor
I was a bit taken aback this evening when I went looking for my favorite client's website. I typed his name into a search engine, and was surprised when several news items appeared. His name isn't a common one, so I clicked. Suddenly, the reality of the deadly tsunami, a half a world away, became tangible. An email he sent to the "Manchester Union Leader" was included in their article about his experience:

An early morning jog has been part of my routine for several months and since I have been in Madras, I have chosen the beach sands near the ocean as the spot for my jog (Eliots Beach). On the 26th, I was actually woken up by relatively mild tremors which caused our home to stir and shake a bit. This was about 7 a.m. (Indian standard time). Not making much of these tremors and not paying attention to any news items on this natural phenomena, I ventured out for a jog.

At about 8 to 8:15 in the morning, I witnessed the receding of the ocean waters. I knew immediately what was coming. Having watched tsunamis on Discovery Channel for years, I knew this was it. I started to walk quickly when I heard the rush and gush of water. I turned for a second and noticed a 30-foot tidal wave approach. There were about 100-odd people other than myself, with small children playing the game of cricket on the beach. I yelled at all to rush for the high land and started running myself. As we all ran, I watched the small children getting swallowed by the sea, people getting caught in the fishing nets on the beach and unable to run, and some pacing right past me.

Just as I felt I was safe, the wave caught up with me and pulled me back with a couple of other people right next to me. This is when my swimming skills came to use. (I have none.) I just decided to float myself on top and let the waves from behind push me back out. The strategy worked and just as the second wave pushed me toward shore, I pulled a couple of other people along with me to safety — no act of bravery, just sheer adrenaline, pushing people close to me to safer havens. I myself returned home physically unscathed and moved my parents and belongings to higher ground.

Fear of death was never a problem for me — I expect death any minute. However, the scale of human and property destruction was something that was heart-wrenching and still something I am unable to comprehend.

- served up by Nomad @ 2:54 AM