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WEEK of January 31, 2005 |
BFS Tsunami Eyewitness Shares Her Story by Jeffrey Stanley Most of us have seen the horrific images on television and in newspapers again and again over the past month. Most of us have been affected by having that small taste of what has been described as the worst natural disaster in recorded history. Most of us have contributed to the relief effort in some way. But BFS Upper School student Katherine Kennedy was there. She was vacationing with friends in Phuket, Thailand over the holidays and was almost beachside when the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. “I was standing in the hotel lobby which is on higher grounds and all of a sudden the tide of the ocean went out very far,” said Kennedy. “The hotel manager made everyone leave the beach. Everyone came up to the lobby and then the wave hit. The tide was far out and then it came back really fast. The wave was about 12 feet and it came up to the top of the stairs to the lobby.” Unsure exactly what had happened, Kennedy and other guests tried to get a closer look. “All the beach chairs and umbrellas were floating in the water. The hotel restaurant was covered in water. The manager then told everyone we had to evacuate because they were scared another tsunami was going to hit. At the time we knew nothing of the earthquake and we thought it was only a minor tidal wave.” For a while, no one listened to the manager’s demands that they evacuate, unable to imagine the seriousness of the event. “Everyone wanted to stay and see what would happen, but then they got really serious and made everyone go to the tennis courts which were on a hill. Our villa was on the highest point in the resort so we were allowed to stay there. We watched from one of the balconies to see what was going to happen. We were allowed to go back down to the lobby after about two hours.” Kennedy was now terrified but remained unclear on exactly what had happened. “Just from what we were seeing we could tell it was bad. One of the nannies was on her day off and she was staying at a hotel right on the water. We tried to take a taxi down to get her, but the roads were completely covered in water. People were screaming that there was going to be another one, so we hurried back to the villa. It was very scary to think that someone I knew could be in danger.” Finally the nanny arrived, safe but rattled, and told her story. “She was sleeping when someone banged on her door yelling to get out and go to higher grounds. She opened her door and the water was up to her chest. She looked in front of her and there was a naked lady clutching to a palm tree. She took nothing and tried to get to higher grounds. Finally after about four hours she found someone who would take her to the villa.” Kennedy was scheduled to fly out of Phuket on New Year’s Day but when she and her friends learned that all aircraft had been put to use transporting the injured to hospitals in Bangkok, they sprang into action and began a humble relief effort of their own. “We went to a Walmart and bought tons and tons of things. We went to city hall in Phuket town where people who had lost their homes were staying, and handed all the things we had bought to the people who had nothing. It was scary to see people all bloody and in shock. There were so many people there, it was very sad to know these people had lost their homes, their belongings and family members.” The next day Kennedy and her cohorts went to nearby Khao Lak and Phang Nga, which had been heavily damaged, and assisted in hospitals. “There were so many people at the hospital that some were laying on benches and even on the floor. We were trying to help people find their missing family members.” One of Kennedy’s happiest moments came when she and her friends found a teenage girl whose family was certain had been killed. The 14-year-old had been nearly paralyzed by her injuries but she could move her toes and feet which meant she would get better. Even before the disaster struck, Kennedy was dealing with new emotions simply by spending time in that part of the world. “Seeing the way people live compared to the life I live has made me see what a lucky life I have. We saw people living in horrible conditions with barely anything. We handed out all different supplies from shoes to toys to clothing. The people were so happy just to have clean clothing and shoes on their feet. It amazed me to see how happy the little children got when we told them they were allowed to have more than one toy.” Kennedy wasn’t able to leave Thailand until January 6. Not until she was safely home in New York did she feel the emotional impact of her two weeks abroad. “This experience is something that has changed me, I’ll never be able to forget it.” She has gone on to donate money for the tsunami victims inside and outside of BFS. She wears a blue ribbon to show her support. Yet she remains humble. “I was glad that we were able to help, even though we weren’t doing that much.” |
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