Post From Dave Piper

We found out some interesting news on what the local effects of the tsunami on Fagasa bay were that day in September last year from Emsy and Ambrose (daughter and brother in-law of Fui the homeowner). This is their story.

On the morning of the tsunami most of the working people were already at work in town on the other side of the mountain. However when the earthquake hit and the people on the island felt it they all knew that this could be trouble. Ambrose was at work. Fui, his wife and Emsy were at home. When Emsy came outside she found her dad just looking out into the bay, but he was looking at a bay without water. Emsy started to get her parents into the truck as she knew they need to leave now. The water would return but in the form of a big wave. By the time she got her parents into the pickup a few neighbor children jumped into the back of the truck and she drove as fast as she could on the dirt road that runs parallel to the shore to hopefully make it to the only road up the mountain and out of harm's way. But as she got closer to the road up the mountain only 1/3 of a mile away she could see the wave already coming back into the bay and it was a big wave. As she made it to the curve in the road that allowed her to turn and start her ascent up the mountain the wave was already there and hitting the truck. She feared the wave was going to tip the truck over but pushed the gas pedal to the floor and tried to outrun the wave. The wave was right behind the truck. As the water started crashing over the truck she feared for the safety of the kids in the back, but continued on. When she stopped partway up the hill she was relieved to find all the kids in the back, and the bed of the truck full of water. In a few short minutes all 3 waves were over and the water had gone back down. Ambrose heard the warnings on the radio but could not get a phone line to anybody in Fagasa to find out if they were OK. He arrived a few hours later and saw Fui and Emsy standing on the shore just looking out. Fui's house was destroyed. Their chest freezer was on the far side of the creek. Some of the articles from inside the house were around the point in the ocean (about 1/2mile away). His TV was found days later on the other side of the bay. Thankfully nobody from Fagasa lost their life that day, but it will take decades to repair the damage from a few short minutes of destruction.