Tsunami - Narrated by John S. Heinecke

Upon hearing the news of what had happened on December 26th, three of us (Dad, Kevin (COO of the hotel group), and myself) immediately flew to Phuket to determine first hand the extent of the damages caused to our two hotels.  With power, electricity, and phone lines down or tied up, it was impossible to receive updates from them.

Upon arrival we received word that the JW Marriot was fine (relative to other hotels in the area) with only minor damages and no major injuries reported.  The damage from the reports on our other hotel was not as good.  There were reports of 10-12 meter waves that crashed through the area causing substantial damage and claiming the lives of some of our staff and guests. 

By the time we left the airport, it was dark.  We quickly drove to Kao Lak where the hotel was located.  The first half of what was usually a 1 hour drive to the hotel was relatively uneventful.  The damage to towns between the airport and Kao Lak, from the road, did not appear too bad.  Their was obvious water that had washed debris across the road and caused some minor water damage to some shop houses, but nothing near what we would encounter over the next hill entering Kao Lak.  At the top of the hill there was a road block blocked off by emergency vehicles and police.  Residents and tourists had taken refuge at this spot and some of the emergency crews had set up a command post. 

After talking to those in charge and assuring them we understood the dangers we faced, we proceeded through the road block into Kao Lak. The devastation, destruction, and death we witnessed was unlike any I have ever seen.  It far exceeded my worst nightmare and the worst B Movies of the apocalypse I have watched.  The coverage on the news did not even come close.  That’s how bad things were.  What normally would have taken 10 minutes to drive through Kao Lak took over an hour as we maneuvered ourselves past trees, buildings, debris, power lines, smashed cars and motorcycles, furniture, and even boats.  The mud and the stench of stale sea water and fish filled the air.  The streets were very muddy.  We are fortunate we never got stuck since we were driving a car, not an four wheel drive vehicle.  Massive search lights were already on the scene in some areas and groups of people, both looters and rescuers were going through the buildings and the streets. 

We finally reached the hotel to find that everyone had already left the property to head into Ta Kua Pa to account for all the guests and staff at the district office and hospitals.  We took the opportunity to walk the sight to see first hand what had happened and to listen for potential survivors.  Again, like in Kao Lak, it was unbelievable to witness the force of the water that washed some bungalows off their foundation, washed semi trucks into the Lobby Lagoon, and completely demolished some buildings.  The debris field on the beach looked like a garbage dump.  The eerie thing is, if you closed your eyes, the sound of the sea and breeze through the palm trees was as peaceful as always.  You would never have now anything had happened.  We would not see the full extent of what we walked through until the next day. 

We headed back to the car to drive into the next town.  This is where many of the survivors and most of the people from the hotel headed.  From the hotel to the next town was not too difficult as there were no major buildings on either side of the road.  What ever had been there had already washed away with no evidence of it’s existence noticeable at night. 

The hospital appeared to be relatively organized and seemed to have matters mostly under control considering what had just happened.  Locals and Tourists who were not injured or had minor injuries had set up camp on the lawn in front of the Hospital and on the parade grounds in front of the district office.  People were wandering around seeking loved ones and friends.  We were able to locate some key staff members who had already started a list of who they had found.  This information would be important as we reconstructed guest and employee lists to determine who was accounted for, who was missing, and also who had not survived the wave. 

About an hour after arriving at the hospital, we headed back to the JW Marriot Phuket which would become our base of operations for the next 5 days.  It was 1 am by the time we arrived at the hotel.  We assembled a team which included some staff from the devastated hotel and key executives from the head office and the JW Marriot.  The stories of what had occurred, what people did when the wave hit, and how they managed the aftermath was breath taking.  What we were pleased to see was the professionalism, courage, and the leadership that took place during and after the wave.  We reviewed our plan of attack for the next day and headed to bed.  We only had a couple hours before we had to hit the road again to arrive just before sun rise at the devastated hotel. 

It was difficult trying to relax that first night as our rooms were located on the ground floor.  As I turned out the lights and turned off CNN and BBC, no one knew yet the global extend of what had occurred.  I closed my eyes and I couldn’t help but notice the sound of the sea and the waves as they hit the beach.  Each waved appeared to get louder and louder as my mind played tricks on me.  Eventually, after forcing pleasant thoughts into my head, I drifted off to sleep. 

We were up and out of the Marriot at 4 am so that we could reach the site at sunrise.  The drive was not much different from the one we drove less than 8 hours before except that the search crews had made progress in the hours that had passed.  Their evidence lay by the side of the road awaiting transport to the temples.

By the time we arrived at the site, we could see the sky changing colors as dawn was on its way.  It didn’t take long before there was enough light to go through what used to be a beautiful resort and spa.  The daylight put a whole different perspective on what we saw through our flash light beams.  Multiply what we saw 10 to 100 fold.  We scoured the site for survivors, personal effects, and any hotel records that would help us better understand who was at the hotel when the event took place. 

Through out the day we found many things, except survivors.  Many of us saw things this day that will remain in our minds and our hearts forever. 

The hotel register was miraculously located along with the housekeeping log.  We would use this, the lists compiled at the hospital and district offices, eye witness reports, and other things to help account for everyone in the days to come. 

We bused all our hotel guests and as many other people from Ta Kua Pa that we could squeeze into the buses.  They were treated to fresh clothes, food, water, and first aid when they arrived at the JW Marriot.  From their reactions you would have thought we had given them the world.  We gathered all the guests from our hotel into a conference so as to find out who they were, who they were traveling with, and what they knew.  This would begin the strong bond and friendship we would start with many of them.  I only wish it had been under different circumstances. 

We started the day with half of our 66 guests and most of the staff accounted for.  By days end we had narrowed this number substantially with all staff accounted for and 44 guests accounted for.  These numbers included 3 staff and 5 guests confirmed dead and identified. 

Over the next 4 days we would be running on pure adrenalin with no more than 2 hours sleep every night.  In retrospect it was just one long… very long day.  I honestly don’t remember where one day ended and the next began as we never saw the light of day in the conference room.  It was dark when we arrived and dark when we left. 

Our tasks through out each day were:

· Our role was to comfort, update, and provide moral support to our guests who would hold vigil in the room waiting for any news, any update, any thing to hang on to in hopes that their friends and family would return safely.  We continued through out the day and night to identify, account for, and search for our missing guests.  This included phone calls to all area and Bangkok Hospitals, all district offices in the vicinity of the hotel, hotline numbers, airlines, embassies, and anywhere else we could think of. 

· When the security crews would return with bags, safes, and personal affects found either in the rooms or strewn through out the property, it would be our responsibility to go through the items, clean them (you would not believe how the mud got into EVERYTHING), and determine who they belonged to. 

· Without a doubt, the most difficult task was informing and consoling loved ones that their wife, their children, their friends had not been as lucky as them.  No words come close to expressing the ache inside as you experience their loss with them.  Only those who have lost someone or their whole family in such a tragic way could understand what they have gone through.

5 days and 10 hours of sleep later, we had accounted for all but 3 guests.  It had been determined through our sight searching, investigation, and research that: 

· 4 Couples/Families never arrived at the hotel as their plane never landed. 

· 3 Couples/Families had already departed by the time the wave came in. 

· 3 Staff Members had passed away

· 6 Guests did not survive the wave

· 112 guests and staff members were alive and well. 

Considering the events that occurred on December 26^th, the confusion caused by the aftermath, these results were exceptional.  It was hard to believe that a human body can function for 5 days on less than 10 hours of sleep.

We held a traditional Buddhist service later the day of December 30^th honoring those who had been lost and keeping hope alive for those who have not yet returned.  It lifted the weight off many of our shoulders and provided us with a realization that loss is a natural thing.  As difficult as it may seem at the time, life goes on.  

This experience has made me stronger and has provided me with a different perspective on life and people.  What we all went through during those days will remain with us for the rest of our lives.  Events such as these bring out the true nature of people and companies.  With only a handful of exceptions, many of which were written about in the newspaper:

· I am proud to be living with the Thais who have a heart of gold and gave what little they had to those who lost everything.

· I am proud to work with our staff, all levels, who took our hotel guests in, fed them, clothed them, and gave them a place to stay the first night with no expectation of receiving anything in return. 

· I am proud to be associated with a company that believes and acts upon doing the right thing in a crisis situation. 

As I write this update, the search goes on for those who remain missing.  Demolition crews are removing debris and trying to find those who remain unfound.  My thoughts go out to those who have lost family members and friends and those who still do not know.