
I Was Actually There: July 16
Episode two hears from eye witnesses of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
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Episode two of I Was Actually There hears from eye witnesses of the Boxing Day tsunami who were in Phuket, Phi Phi and Khao Lak in 2004.
A massive earthquake below the Indian Ocean unleashed the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, killing 230,000 people across 14 countries. But those who were swept up in the wave had no idea of its scale, only of the devastation that unfolded before their eyes.
At the beachside districts of Phi Phi Islands and Phuket in Thailand, a handful of Australians found themselves facing a ten-metre high wall of water travelling 800 kilometres an hour.
Joe Giardina, his wife, and their teenage son, Paul, had just sat down for breakfast when the tsunami hit, and were initially worried about getting wet feet. “When it hit us, I put Paul up against a concrete pillar to hold him in there, and it picked us both up and threw us over a wall,” he says.
“Everything happened in a millisecond. Something hit me on the back of the head and that’s when I went under and that’s when I lost Paul. I wasn’t able to hold onto him”.
Heart wrenching accounts of loss, miraculous tales of survival, and the reactions of ordinary people to extraordinary circumstances dominate this second episode.
“I’m not brave. I have great respect for paramedics, police, fire fighters. These are people who run towards danger. I don’t know how they do it. I know that I’m not one of them,” says survivor Alexa Moses.
Despite losing his girlfriend to the tsunami, Gold Coast surfer Damian Kloot put aside his suffering to link up with other Australians in the search for survivors. “It gave me purpose, not only to save myself or save my partner, but to try to help others as well,” he says.
For many, surviving the tsunami was far from the end of the ordeal and each needed to work out how to live with it. Some have never been back in the ocean.
Others believe they have a spiritual connection to Thailand. For Thai restaurateur Pym Boonyarattana, the emotional scars of the disaster are as present as ever. “I still think the wave will come any day, any time, any minute in my life. I’m living with fear.”
Interviewees:
Joe Giardina – a tourist holidaying with his wife and teenage son in Phuket. He lost his son in the tsunami
Rebekah Giles – a solicitor who was on holiday with her boyfriend on Phi Phi Island. She was medevacked back to Australia
Damien Kloot – a tourist on a a surfing holiday with his wife on Phi Phi Island. He lost his wife in the tsunami
Pim Boonyarattana – a Thai restaurateur who was on Phi Phi Island. She helped direct survivors onto the helicopter to hospital
Lizz Hills – a scuba diver who was on a diving boat at Khao Lak when the wave hit
Alexa Moses – tourist who was on Khao Lak with her boyfriend
Troy Jones – tourist at Phi Phi Island. He was on a ferry between Phi Phi and Phuket when the wave hit
Michael Tyrrell – tourist at Phi Phi Island. He watched the wave from afar then came down to help
Peter Lloyd – ABC correspondent who flew to Phuket to report on the tsunami. He was one of the first outsiders to see the devastation
8pm Tuesday on ABC.
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