SURVIVORS' KIN REJOICE; OTHERS MOURN LOSSES.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - Habeeba Akbar's grandmother lay in her son's arms as the tsunami roared inside their Sri Lanka home, her nose just inches above the rising waters.

Miraculously, the 84-year-old matriarch survived. Unfortunately, seven of Akbar's aunts, uncles and cousins did not.

``She said, Even if I live a thousand years, I could never explain what I went through,'' said Habeeba Akbar, 37, of Woodland Hills, who finally managed to speak to her bruised and battered grandmother via satellite phone.

``I feel so relieved. We were up the whole night not knowing what would happen. We didn't want her to go that way. But for the grace of God, she's OK.''

The celebration - and grief - experienced by Habeeba and Munir Akbar this week is being repeated around the world as harrowing stories emerge from the Indian Ocean earthquake and tidal waves that have killed upward of 55,000 people.

California is home to thousands of immigrants from the hardest-hit nations - including Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Thailand - who have been especially affected by the weekend tragedy.

Across Los Angeles, residents sought to reach relatives in the dozen countries battered Sunday by the towering waves. Many cut checks to international agencies offering aid.

At Northridge Hospital Medical Center, physicians and staff mourned the wife and daughter of Dr. Anton Ambrose, killed in the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka.

``Wonderful people,'' said Dr. Kevin Pezeshki, a gynecologist who shares a Northridge practice with Ambrose. ``Very, very kind. Very giving. All of us in the hospital are really down and upset and just shocked by the news.

``We just don't want to believe it. Nature is just going crazy.''

Ambrose had traveled with his wife, Beulah, to their Sri Lanka homeland to visit their daughter Orlantha, who had left her job at a school in Los Angeles to teach violin to poor children.

But their vacation took a deadly turn when Beulah and Orlantha drowned.

Ambrose's sister said he'd checked out of a hospital Tuesday and was in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, making funeral arrangements for his wife and daughter.

``We are deeply saddened by the recent tragedy that one of our family of physicians has suffered abroad,'' Northridge hospital President Mike Wall said in a statement. ``Our hospital's prayers and support are with him and we look forward to his safe return home.''

Others celebrated the safety of friends who survived the path of the tsunami.

Kimberly Peters of Camarillo just heard that his friends Larry and Gloria Wright, vacationing at a beach resort in Sri Lanka, had escaped unscathed.

``We've been in fear for their lives for days,'' Peters said. ``We're going to hang a 'welcome home' sign on their door and throw them a party.''

In the west San Fernando Valley, residents of East Indian descent poured out their hearts - and money - within the Indian commercial district.

Raj Prabhakaran, manager of the State Bank of India (California) in Canoga Park, said some clients have wired money for relief efforts, with the bank waiving its normal fees.

Devraj Humbe, 35, of Simi Valley, a native of Bombay, said he sent $300 for relief, which his company, Wipro, an IT consulting firm, will match.

``I think the U.S. government should give more help,'' said Humbe, grabbing a bite in Indian Sweets and Spices in Canoga Park. ``Apart from the monetary relief, they're also going to need a lot of volunteers.''

Others were grateful at the outpouring of community support.

Tilak Dub, 50, of Simi Valley, and his daughter, Bhanuja, 14, said they've been deluged with calls from friends and neighbors asking whether they knew any victims of the tsunami.

``Even though no one from our family was hurt, it was nice to see that people were concerned,'' Bhanuja Dub, a native of north India, said.

For the Akbars, who immigrated to Los Angeles from Sri Lanka 10 years ago to found a jewelry business on the Direct Shopping Network, watching the catastrophe on TV has been especially difficult.

Seven relatives were swept away as they ate breakfast at the Peacock Hotel in Hambanthota. Three family homes, including one owned by Naseema Dasthakeer, with more than 50 grandchildren, disappeared.

``We are in shock,'' said Munir Akbar, 42, whose Direct Shopping Network is contributing tens of thousand dollars and a shipment of antibiotics for Sri Lankan refugees.

``Nobody was sick. It happened like that. You don't immediately feel the effect. We are worried about disease now. For an 84-year-old lady to escape in that situation is a miracle.''

Daily News Staff Writers Lisa Sodders and Eric Leach contributed to this report.

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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