Saturday, April 14, 2007

Tsunami

I was chatting online with a young man who lives in Sri Lanka. I asked him about the tsunami that hit there. He told me how horrible it was. He said that seeing it on television can't begin to relay the horrors of it. He said that when the alarm sounded, everyone in his apartment building climbed to the top of their building. He said people were scrambling to get up there, I can only imagine the rush and crowding. Also many people from surrounding, smaller buildings also climbed up with them. He said that when the water hit, he was almost swept away, but was able to hang on to a light post to keep from being swept away. I'm not sure the turn of events, but they were on top of the building for 1 1/2 days. He said that even though they were 15 stories up, they could reach and touch the water with their hands. They lost everything they had. He must have been swept off the building in the beginning because he said that a boat came and rescued him. When he fell in the boat, he fainted. When he woke up, his mother was wiping his face. Then he slept for about 7-9 hours.

He said that afterwards people were walking through the streets crying. Some whole families had been swept away. He said that one family that his father knows were all swept away, but only one actually died. I think that was quite miraculous.

He said that helicopters came and dropped food for them. People were scrambling to get it. He said it was survival of the fittest. He said that once a boy tried to steal a food package from the sister of his friend. He hit the boy and broke his nose so he wouldn't take her food. He told me that even today he sees that boy sometimes when he goes to the movie...nice to know they both survived.

He said it was scary to think that he almost died. I asked him how that made him feel. He said that he couldn't describe it to me. I asked if he was afraid of death. He said no. I told him I'm not afraid of death either, but I would like to live awhile longer. :) I told him I thought there must be something important that he needs to do in his life, that is why he survived. I told him he should study hard in school so that he will be able to do whatever it is he is meant to do in his life.

It's incredible to think that people who have so very little to begin with could have it all taken away. We are so blessed in this country, but I don't think we live worthy of what we have been blessed with.

2 comments:

Stormy Trepidations said...
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Anonymous said...

This was what I needed to think about. So I can again count my blessings. Hugs

11:11 PM