Mukilteo Musings

Unbelievable Story

My husband's colleague who experienced the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand has a fascinating story. Evidently, the Seattle Times thought so as well.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002141045_doctor05m.html

Not included in the article were his shocking photos of the aftermath and debris. Also, he reported to his friends how lucky he and his family really were. First of all, they made their reservations at the last minute so they were not able to get a beach front hotel which probably saved their lives. Their hotel was behind the row of resorts right along the beach. He said these acted somewhat as a buffer so that the second row wasn't completely wiped out. Secondly, they arrived rather late the night before and slept in. Otherwise, they would have been on the beach instead of eating breakfast. They did feel the earthquake and being from Seattle, knew immediately what it was but they figured it was local and tsunami never entered their minds. A good reminder for all of us here in the Puget Sound area with all of our water--when we feel an earthquake, we should in the next instant listen for tsunami warnings.

Some quotes:

"What was planned as a quick beach vacation for a University of Washington physician and his family turned into two days of medical triage and critical first aid in a Thai beach resort.
In the hours after the tsunami hit Patong Beach on the island of Phuket on Dec. 26, Dr. Mark Oberle, associate dean of the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, even drew on first-aid skills he had learned as a Boy Scout.

Bleeding was stopped with strips torn from table cloths and sheets. Broken bones were splinted with broken furniture. Wounds were cleaned with bottled water from hotel rooms and bars. Plastic lounge chairs were used as stretchers. ...

...Oberle waded through water, slipped in mud and had to climb across car tops in his flip-flop shoes to reach some people. It was hours before the first ambulance crews could get into the area."

[and of course, as a good UW School of Public Health associate dean like my hubby and as a good Seattleite, his story has a political point.]

"Oberle said that with all the attention on aid for the tsunami victims, the U.S. government should rethink its overall commitment to foreign aid for health care in developing countries. In those countries, for example, more than 1 million people a year die from measles, there are 140 million unintended pregnancies a year and a woman has 50 times the risk of dying during childbirth than in developed nations.

The United States is far behind many other countries in its aid, he said, giving about $30 per U.S. citizen to nations in need. Scandinavian countries, for example, give about seven times that amount."