The world is trying to heal. When devastating tsunami waves swept through South East Asia on December 26, more than 162,000 people were killed in a dozen countries. Indonesia, where entire stretches of coastline were wiped out and whole islands disappeared, was hit the hardest. According to the BBC, more than 114,000 people are confirmed dead here and the toll is expected to rise even further. Sri Lanka is mourning the loss of more than 30,800 lives. India lost almost 10,000 people and Thailand well over 5,300.
Many of the victims were travelers. Other tourists witnessed the heart-wrenching human tragedy. Their gripping tales are now floating around the online world.
Rick Von Feldt was traveling in Phuket, Thailand when the tragedy occurred. Although he was not injured, it had a profound effect on Van Feldt. His eye-witness account, related at http://phukettsunami.blogspot.com has become one of the most visited sites on the Internet this last week.
Brandon Behle of San Diego, California was just getting breakfast on Ko Phi Phi Island ( Thailand) when the wave struck at 10.30 am. Luckily he was not taken by surprise and saw it coming: "I headed up into the mountains with the rest of the survivors on my part of the island. We made it to the top of the island. And spent the night there. A Canadian family took me in and took care of me, kept me sane, and in general, were my guardian angels. We spent the night up there and in the morning helped carry down the critically wounded. Then we helped evacuate people at the MED EVAC center and search the debris for survivors. One of the most beautiful islands in the world was completely flattened and dead bodies lay all over the island. It was horribly, brutally gruesome and something I would never want to see ever again. When our help wasn't needed anymore, we got on a boat and headed to Krabi on to the mainland. I am in a hotel safe and sound now and am heading to Bangkok tomorrow." (see more at www.mytripjournal.com/behle)
Many travelers like Behle rose above the status of mere visitors and quickly identified with the local population. There are countless tales of tourists who refused to cancel their vacation, board a plane to safety back home and opted to stay instead to help their hosts. There were also stories of many locals who risked their lives in order to save tourists. As terrible a tragedy the Asian seaquake is, the disaster is perhaps a chance to help the world grow together. Not just on a human, but also on a political level.
At time of publication, more than US$ 3 billion has been pledged to help the tsunami victims. Australia has become the biggest donor country so far (US$ 815 million), followed by Germany (US$ 680 million) and Japan (US$ 500). The United States has promised US$ 350 million to help tsunami victims and sent warships, aircraft and medical relief teams into the region.
Bitterly divided by the war in Iraq, the international aid could help to reestablish shaken confidence between the Western and the Muslim world. Indonesia is the world’s most populous Islamic nation and the worst-hit nation. Yet, the biggest donors are Western countries. Perhaps this outpouring of undiscriminating help and sympathy, regardless of religion, nationality or race, will help to reestablish trust in one another. Lives would have been lost, but perhaps not in vain.
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