Three travelers narrowly miss catastrophe.Byline: Bob Keefer The Register-Guard Jim Calkins is among the fortunate. The 53-year-old Eugene maintenance contractor, along with his 22-year-old daughter and her boyfriend, were vacationing in a beachfront beach·front n. A strip of land facing or running along a beach. adj. Situated along or having direct access to a beach: beachfront hotels; beachfront property. Noun 1. bungalow on Koh Mook mook n. Slang An insignificant or contemptible person. [Probably alteration of moke.] island off the west coast of Thailand on Sunday when the tsunami struck. "All of a sudden it became very quiet," Calkins said early today from a hotel in the mainland Thai city of Krabi. "The sea receded out beyond normal - and then a roar." The western beachfront on Koh Mook missed the worst of the tsunami. It was struck by a wave "not more than 3 or 4 feet in height," Calkins said, "but with a force and depth much stronger than a normal wave. Long-tail boats The long-tail boat is a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia, which uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable powerplant. A craft designed to carry passengers on a river may include a lightweight long canoe hull, up to 30 meters, and a canopy. were pushed inland, one boat destroying a recently built foot bridge. Some swimmers were dashed against rocks, (suffering) cuts and bruises Bruises Definition Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. ." Calkins, his daughter, Nisha, a University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. music student, and Ian Pribil, her jazz musician boyfriend, all survived unscathed, though they were stuck on the island for several days because the Thai navy would not allow boats to operate. Though damage was minimal on the west side of Koh Mook, which is sheltered by another island, a fishing village on its east side was heavily damaged as the wave washed around the back. Calkins visited the village two days after the wave struck. Though no one was killed, many buildings were "splintered and shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. ," he said. Calkins was able to telephone his wife, Barbara Seljan, in Eugene on Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
"I got a phone call," she said. "He said, `There's been an earthquake and a tidal wave tidal wave, term properly applied to the crest of a tide as it moves around the earth. The wavelike upstream rush of water caused by the incoming tide in some locations is known as a tidal bore. .' He said he could only talk for a minute and would call me back in a few days." The three travelers narrowly missed a deeper tragedy. They had planned to spend the day snorkeling at Emerald Cave, a popular tourist destination A tourist destination is a city, town or other area the economy of which is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions or visitor attractions and possibly some "tourist traps". on Koh Mook, but overslept and missed their boat. The snorkelers at the cave were hit by the tsunami. Two Malaysian tourists drowned, and dozens of other snorkelers were injured as they were pounded against rocks and coral formations before they were rescued by police. "That was a good day to sleep in," Calkins said. After the tsunami struck, a mild panic took hold among tourists and residents alike. "People kept saying, `Another wave is coming!' For 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock there was always another wave coming. I just saw fear in people's eyes. One English fellow, I went down and helped him pack, half an hour after the second wave. He had a bungalow right on the water. He was shaking." Once they were able to leave the island, the three travelers moved on to Krabi, an inland city where news reports say hundreds of people are dead in the province. On Thursday, though, Calkins said there was little sense of disaster in the community. The city was functioning, despite the disaster swirling around the region. But not all was well, he said. The husband of a Thai friend was missing and presumed dead. Calkins saw an open truck drive past full of cardboard coffins containing dead victims of the tsunami. And today, he said, he is going to a Buddhist memorial service for the dead. This is Calkins' third trip to Thailand in as many years, and he loves the country more than ever. He plans to stay until his planned departure on Jan. 6. "I saw what happened when there was panic," he said. "But I also saw the people helping each other. Everyone got together to clean up the beach, helping to put the resort back together. People got donations together for the fishing village that was hurt. The culture is quite wonderful and quite kind." |
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