Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
Tanya Houser
A Nevada Union High School graduate and her husband sprinted and pulled themselves to safety Sunday as a tsunami slammed into the coastal resort where they were spending their honeymoon in Thailand.
In a tear-filled, emotional phone call to her mother and father, Tanya (Houser) Telford, 31, of Eureka, said she suffered only a scratch because she and husband Jason Telford ran for high ground when the first wave approached Phra Thong Island.
"We lost everything; it's real emotional," Houser said on a taped message at the Grass Valley home of her parents, Harold "Skip" and Beverly Houser. Everything, including family presents, they presume, were swept out to sea.
The Housers said their daughter was on her honeymoon and safe in Bangkok on Tuesday. The couple was on the island south of Bangkok when Sunday's earthquake and tsunamis devastated countries on the Indian Ocean. The death toll was estimated at more than 52,000 people across 11 nations.
In a tear-filled, emotional phone call to her mother and father, Tanya (Houser) Telford, 31, of Eureka, said she suffered only a scratch because she and husband Jason Telford ran for high ground when the first wave approached Phra Thong Island.
"We lost everything; it's real emotional," Houser said on a taped message at the Grass Valley home of her parents, Harold "Skip" and Beverly Houser. Everything, including family presents, they presume, were swept out to sea.
The Housers said their daughter was on her honeymoon and safe in Bangkok on Tuesday. The couple was on the island south of Bangkok when Sunday's earthquake and tsunamis devastated countries on the Indian Ocean. The death toll was estimated at more than 52,000 people across 11 nations.
In an e-mail patched through to the Housers by an intermediary, son-in-law Jason Telford talked about what happened at the moment the tsunami struck.
"We had just had breakfast and were on the patio of our stilt house when I saw the first of many waves coming," Jason wrote. "There was a lapse after the first wave hit. ... I quickly grabbed a pack with our passports and money."
In an e-mail, Tanya said, "We saw the wave come running toward us and Jason said, 'Let's hold onto this tree.' I said 'No!!!'" As it turned out, many who did so were killed or knocked off the trees by debris moving in the water.
"We both narrowly escaped certain death or injury by scrambling up a hillside by pulling on vines and tree branches," Jason wrote. "Climbing, yes, but purely for the sake of survival."
Initially, the Housers received almost no information about the disaster or their daughter's fate.
"We had just had breakfast and were on the patio of our stilt house when I saw the first of many waves coming," Jason wrote. "There was a lapse after the first wave hit. ... I quickly grabbed a pack with our passports and money."
In an e-mail, Tanya said, "We saw the wave come running toward us and Jason said, 'Let's hold onto this tree.' I said 'No!!!'" As it turned out, many who did so were killed or knocked off the trees by debris moving in the water.
"We both narrowly escaped certain death or injury by scrambling up a hillside by pulling on vines and tree branches," Jason wrote. "Climbing, yes, but purely for the sake of survival."
Initially, the Housers received almost no information about the disaster or their daughter's fate.
"It was very trying," Beverly Houser said.
Finally, the Housers heard from the Golden Buddha Beach Resort that their daughter was on the guest list there, but unaccounted for. Subsequent e-mails and the phone call from her daughter brought the good news.
Accomplished rock climbers, the Telfords made it to the top of the hill and waited as about 100 others climbed to safety. Even then, danger was present.
According to Tanya, "To top it off, there was a monkey jumping on people and biting and scratching them. Six people were hurt by the monkey. Then it was decided to kill the monkey. What a terrible noise."
Finally, the Housers heard from the Golden Buddha Beach Resort that their daughter was on the guest list there, but unaccounted for. Subsequent e-mails and the phone call from her daughter brought the good news.
Accomplished rock climbers, the Telfords made it to the top of the hill and waited as about 100 others climbed to safety. Even then, danger was present.
According to Tanya, "To top it off, there was a monkey jumping on people and biting and scratching them. Six people were hurt by the monkey. Then it was decided to kill the monkey. What a terrible noise."
The Telfords spent the night atop the hill with mosquito netting. They went back to the Golden Buddha Beach and found "our entire resort was in complete and total devastation," Jason wrote. "The place is leveled."
Buried in the sand and silt was Jason's Red Chili T-shirt.
"This is now my only shirt and I am wearing it, proudly," Jason wrote. "This is the only thing we found on the beach that was ours, and we suspect the power and surge from the waves just took everything else out into the Andaman Sea."
Monday, they were taken out on boats by the Thai Navy and spent the evening in a school in the village of Kuraburi. From there they got to the city of Ranong, where they flew to Bangkok. They will leave New Year's Day.
"We are fine, with minor bruises and scratches," Tanya wrote. "We feel lucky to be alive. ... We know several of the people we met from other countries did not make it out."
Buried in the sand and silt was Jason's Red Chili T-shirt.
"This is now my only shirt and I am wearing it, proudly," Jason wrote. "This is the only thing we found on the beach that was ours, and we suspect the power and surge from the waves just took everything else out into the Andaman Sea."
Monday, they were taken out on boats by the Thai Navy and spent the evening in a school in the village of Kuraburi. From there they got to the city of Ranong, where they flew to Bangkok. They will leave New Year's Day.
"We are fine, with minor bruises and scratches," Tanya wrote. "We feel lucky to be alive. ... We know several of the people we met from other countries did not make it out."
