Noted Bay Area blogger, Evelyn Rodriguez, is in Thailand for the holidays, where she survived the massive tidal wave. Here are some of here first-hand reports (all of which lend perspective to our normal concerns of the day):
“We were on a boat tour when the captain dramatically veered off course (we were headed to remote Bamboo Island) and was frantically talking on his cell phone. Their English was very poor so it was not clear what was going on. Long story short, we got on the beach but were too low when the tidal wave struck. It created a flash flood effect and I was in the middle of rapids containing debris, wood and all matter of building material.
Currently nearly penniless, passport-less, travel insurance-less etc. at the moment. But at the hospital everything is free including email access. Unfortunately, the US embassy has not been very helpful in contrast to other embassies and we don’t know much logistically in terms of loans, passports, retreiving our stuff, etc. The ambassador to Sweden personally visited all the Swedes (several were on our boat trip).”
And then again on 12/27, she writes:
“I’m at the providencial hall (city hall) in Phuket, Thailand now and got my paperwork to fly to Bangkok, although I’m not sure I can fly yet as my leg so swollen I can’t bend it and I can only walk with crutches.
Things are absolute madhouse here. Looks like a marketplace with tents and booths – but nothing is being sold just given away. Thousands of people here sorting through embassy stuff here. The government of Thailand and the people here have been absolutely wonderful providing free clothing, water, toiletries, food, accomodations, flights back to Bangkok and on and on.”
