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Phi Phi Island tsunami relief fund 28-Jan-2005 At 12:18:45 AM Onsight

Message

Cathy's email:

Dear everyone

Things here are really frustrating. The news are not describing accuratly what's going on here. Especially not what happened on PP.

Some of you have been to Phi Phi. I know you have loved it and loved it's people too. What I am going to tell you is going to brake your heart and it's breaking mine every minute of every day.

On December 26th, a huge wave coming from Lodalum bay, the North of the island hit the beach with such force that it went completely over the whole sandbar destroying everything in it wake. Some people were able to run inland but all the one who could make it to the Thai muslin village were hit by an other wave coming from the South side. The South wave was not as big but it's strength destroyed all the longtails on Tonsai bay and most of the houses and shop on the main street, killing hundreds of people. The Thai village was completely obliterated. The whole sandbar found itself sandwished between too tidal waves and chances of escaping the waves were very slim.

The only people who survived were the ones who started running at the fist warnings and only those who made the right turns...

Then a few minutes later an other wave hit Phi Phi and killed all the people who survived the first wave but were still cought in the low land, often seriously injured and unable to move.

The survivors had fled to the hills but according to witnesses there was no more than 2000 of them. This was during the very high season and we estimate the number of people on the island at this time at about 7000 people. You do the math.

Now Phi Phi is a very desolate place, it blows my mind when I go there. It looks like it has been hit by an atomic bomb. There is no chance that it will ever be what it was. It will take at least a year I think until they can finish cleaning and rebuilding. I don't beleive that tourists will start coming back until the year 2006.

The problems here are enormous and there is very little being done by the government. And it is not because they don't have the money to do it. Unfortunatly, Phi Phi is part of Krabi province and most people think it part of Phuket. There has been a lot of help sent to Phuket and none here. There are about 2000 local people here, they have lost everything and don't even know if they will ever be able to go back to Phi Phi to resume their lives...

With a few friends from Phi Phi, Farangs and Thai, we are trying to put the money we can collect to good use. We are trying to do what the government can't seem to be able to do... Of course our resources are very limited but we have received quite a few donations from people who trust us.

I am not sure what you can do or what Patagonia can do but if you could send this letter and this website address to as many people as possible and get the word around, it would be a step forward. I am putting myself 100% at the service of this cause as well as a few friends. We are not getting any income from this and we are running our association with our own, very slim, savings....

http://www.phiphi-releve-toi.com

I need to get a contact at the news, which ever one. If you know of anyone let them know what's going on here and give them my contact #.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Love,
Cathy

Siehe auch:
http://www.catsclimbingshop.com