Three Tsunami Photos - They Lived!!

News Australia ^

[gortklattu]

From an earlier posting:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1310914/posts

Photo family's amazing survival From correspondents in Stockholm January 2, 2005

A SERIES of heart-rending photos showing a mother dashing into the tsunami off Thailand in a desperate bid to save her family were cabled out around the world this week.

But the family's fate remained unknown until today, when the Swedish mum came forward to say they had all survived.

"I was yelling at them to run, but they couldn't hear me," 37-year-old Karin Svaerd told the daily Expressen, describing her desperation as her three sons, brother and brother-in-law snorkelled in the water last Sunday, unaware of the pending danger.

The series of three pictures showed confused vacationers on the Ray Leh Beach in Krabi, Thailand, looking at the water receding before the tsunami hit the beach.

Another shot showed swimmers running in to shore once they saw the tower of water approaching.

But Mrs Svaerd, unlike everyone else in the picture, was running out toward the wave in a desperate bid to reach her family.

Her sons Anton, 14, Filip, 11 and Viktor, 10, could not see the wave. Witnesses heard her scream: "Oh my god, not my children!"

Today, Mrs Svaerd told Expressen: "I yelled 'run, run'." But her voice was drowned out by the roar of the water.

"I got 150 meters out before they started to run. By then they'd also seen the wave."

The family got caught in the tsunami and was tossed around underwater. But one by one they managed to get to their feet and make it to higher ground.

An hour after the first wave hit, the family members, including Mrs Svaerd's husband and sister, who were sunbathing on the beach, had managed to locate each other.

"We all survived. That feeling is hard to describe," she said.

Agence France-Presse

[Ciexyz]

I read an account on the BBC site about a man who was on the beach and had about four seconds from the time he noticed the wave to when it hit. He said that he survived because he was on the beach, not further inland where roofs were torn off and automobiles smashed. The people caught in the hotels said it was like being in a washing machine.

[zoyd]

I don't understand your point.

Are you through attacking me?

[missanne]

I guess you're right on, on that one, Squantos! I bet my pucker factor would have exceeded high! You stay safe too!

[Neets]

Nite all!~~

[cubreporter]

Thank God for that. Wow. Who says there are no miracles? So happy for that whole family.

[Squantos]

Maybe not the best analogy .....I just always seemed to move faster in panic mode...figured these folks did the same !

[Syncro]

If you are an Arabic christian God's name is Allah. Allah is Arabic for God.

I don't dispute that Allah is Arabic for God.

But I do know that Allah, the Islamic god, is not the same as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Therefore, Arabic Christians cannot have a god named Allah.

Allah is an impersonal god, and one who does not have a son.

The Christian God is a personal God, and he has a Son, Jesus.

The Islamites see Jesus as a prophet, but not God. And they do not believe that he was crucified and rose again.

[SlowBoat407]

My brother, who lives in Hawaii, told me about some friends of his who were on Phi Phi when the wave hit. They were halfway through a couple of six-packs when they saw the water recede. Somewhere in their semi-sotted brains they registered that rapidly receding water meant something bad, but it took a moment, just long enough for the water to start coming back in, before they remembered. They sobered up quickly and started running up the beach yelling at everyone they could to clear out, but apparently no one else could understand English, because they found themselves running alone.

These guys ran for five minutes before they started slowing down, by which time the water had crested around their knees.

[cyborg]

Agreed.

[Squantos]

I've been in a little of everything and a lot of nuthin as far as natural disasters go....yet laying on the beach in Thailand soakin up some cold cervesas and sunshine on the beach would have had me in alert code blue..........I'd have never made it.....yer bro's friends weren't as drunk as they thought they were.

Thank the good lord they made it....Stay safe !

[gortklattu]

You're welcome.

When I saw this news I started searching Freerepublic to see if it was already posted; as I searched I finally said, "screw it! It's good enough to be posted on twenty threads!"

I was elated when I found it. I'm glad to see that I was not alone!

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

"They were halfway through a couple of six-packs"

Wasn't it morning when the waves first hit?

[Syncro]

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[cyborg]

LOL what? I agree that christians don't worship the same God as muslims hehe.

[SlowBoat407]

"They were halfway through a couple of six-packs"

Wasn't it morning when the waves first hit?

I never vouched for their morals or wisdom ;-)

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

LOL!
'Night everyone :)

[Edgewood Pilot]

Fantastic and wonderful news the family made it to safety ! Running directly towards and into danger to help her loved ones says it all.

[Syncro]

I was just exclam!ng my agreement with your agreement...LOL

Sorry for the upside down "i"

@ @
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^

[cyborg]

LOL hehehe finishing off the New Year's Eve adult beverages? ;-)

[Reagan80]

Mary:

Ever notice that Freepers tend to have more than 1.8 children? My wife and I are soon to have number 3 in the past 5 years. We are about to be outnumbered. We have the same 'problem'. They still keep finding their way 'in'...!