THE TSUNAMI HITS THE MALDIVES
JANUARY 2005
JANUARY 2005
I was at the time running Maldive Travel and over the Christmas period I had over 50 clients in the Maldives at different Resorts.
Had a delightful family from Shropshire Candida, Husband Owen, Gemma 12 Poppy 10 and Beatrice 6 years. Booked them into the Resort NIKA in Ari Atoll. About 35 minutes by Dhoni (local boat) from Nika is a very big sandbank with only three trees in the middle. My clients could book to taste a real Robinson Crusoe adventure.
The Mostyn-Owen family had booked Boxing Day. I was in Norfolk for Christmas with my daughter Lucinda and husband John Stapleton. My office closed. When suddenly I got a call from alerting me to look at once at the TV. There was Candida my client being interviewed on TV speaking of their horror of the tsunami.
They had not been there long, snorkeling and enjoying their privacy, when enormous waves started to crash onto the island. Owen who actually knew enough about this phenomenon knew later the waves would be more dangerous than the first, got the children out at once.
Their only chance of survival was to get to the trees, just one was able to hold Beatrice, they strapped her as high up as possible. They used straps from their bags. The other two hugging onto the tree with their parents round them, the wave coming right up to Candidas face. This plunged back and forth. without that tree they would have swept away.
Nika was suffering with the water coming into the rooms. But knowing the family were on the sandbank wanted to get a boat as quickly as possible to them. They waited five hours until Nika managed to get a boat. Alas it crashed onto the reef not far from the sandbank overturning. The two fisher men managed to survive.
A second boat eventually was in sight, and to avoid a repeat the wave had subsided they decided to swim over the reef and were pulled aboard.
Later that day they were flown to Male and put in a hotel for the night. They had booked to fly to Sri lanka all part of their holiday.
So here I am Boxing night in Norfolk watching MY Client Candida speaking to the world.
With the horror unfolding I drive back early the next morning. The family had arrived in Sri Lanka safely. I then wrote a brief letter to 50 of my clients asking them if they could donate money send for this disaster.
Within a few days I was receiving size-able cheques.
Soon after, I left for Male, with the donations. Took this to S.H.E. presenting this to Madam Gayoom and Doctor Naila Fidous
Many local island people suffered enormously. Their lives turned upside down. Pray there will never be a repeat.
Had a delightful family from Shropshire Candida, Husband Owen, Gemma 12 Poppy 10 and Beatrice 6 years. Booked them into the Resort NIKA in Ari Atoll. About 35 minutes by Dhoni (local boat) from Nika is a very big sandbank with only three trees in the middle. My clients could book to taste a real Robinson Crusoe adventure.
The Mostyn-Owen family had booked Boxing Day. I was in Norfolk for Christmas with my daughter Lucinda and husband John Stapleton. My office closed. When suddenly I got a call from alerting me to look at once at the TV. There was Candida my client being interviewed on TV speaking of their horror of the tsunami.
They had not been there long, snorkeling and enjoying their privacy, when enormous waves started to crash onto the island. Owen who actually knew enough about this phenomenon knew later the waves would be more dangerous than the first, got the children out at once.
Their only chance of survival was to get to the trees, just one was able to hold Beatrice, they strapped her as high up as possible. They used straps from their bags. The other two hugging onto the tree with their parents round them, the wave coming right up to Candidas face. This plunged back and forth. without that tree they would have swept away.
Nika was suffering with the water coming into the rooms. But knowing the family were on the sandbank wanted to get a boat as quickly as possible to them. They waited five hours until Nika managed to get a boat. Alas it crashed onto the reef not far from the sandbank overturning. The two fisher men managed to survive.
A second boat eventually was in sight, and to avoid a repeat the wave had subsided they decided to swim over the reef and were pulled aboard.
Later that day they were flown to Male and put in a hotel for the night. They had booked to fly to Sri lanka all part of their holiday.
So here I am Boxing night in Norfolk watching MY Client Candida speaking to the world.
With the horror unfolding I drive back early the next morning. The family had arrived in Sri Lanka safely. I then wrote a brief letter to 50 of my clients asking them if they could donate money send for this disaster.
Within a few days I was receiving size-able cheques.
Soon after, I left for Male, with the donations. Took this to S.H.E. presenting this to Madam Gayoom and Doctor Naila Fidous
Many local island people suffered enormously. Their lives turned upside down. Pray there will never be a repeat.
