Tsunami Update

By last night we getting a clearer picture of just how much damage the tsunami has done, and it is a lot worse than we first realised. The south coast of Upolo (the island we live on) has been devastated. Many villages have been destroyed and there has been significant loss of life. We aren’t sure exactly how many people have been killed, but reports here have ranged from 40-100. At this stage there are still lots of people missing so I guess it will be a while before the real numbers are known.

The areas hit worst include many of the beach fales and some of the bigger resorts. We have seen pictures on the local news and it is hard to comprehend how much damage has been done in some places. They have been showing pictures from some of our favourite beaches and holiday spots and we can hardly recognise them. It is strange to be so close to such destruction and yet where we are has been unaffected. We have been very lucky, and spent a little while yesterday reflecting on what might have happened in the tsunami had come from the other direction.

Clearly this is quite a tragedy for the country and everyone has been affected in some way. For us it has been with the loss of Peter Letui. Pete played netball with us this season. Earlier in the year he had joined the Fire Service and often told us how much he was enjoying it, especially because it gave him the opportunity to help people. Yesterday we heard that a fire truck had rolled when it was on its way to assist after the tsunami. Peter was killed in the accident. It is so sad to lose someone that was so full of life with so much to offer, but unfortunately in an event like this I guess there are will be many other similar tragic stories. We have already heard about families that have lost children and children that have lost at least one of their parents.

We would like to thank everyone for their concern and kind messages of support. These days news travels so quickly and we were amazed to hear from people all around the world that had heard about what had happened here.