Contact
Tim Southall
PO Box 2361
Maninoa Surf Camp
Western Samoa
sigmasouthall@hotmail.com
www.lineup.com.au
Mission
This contact in Samoa hosts the Maninoa Surf Camp, which is a mission business.
Groundswell 2010 - Special Tsunami Update Report
by Tim Southall
Dear Family and friends,
Everyone from Maninoa is OK. All the staff and family and guests are fine. Just one broken toe and a few scratches for a few of the boys surfing with me at the time. Current death toll for the country is 110 last time I heard but there are still heaps of people missing.
The surf camp is gone. We find pieces of our fales (house) everywhere except where they used to be. I’ve found things from my room a kilometer out to sea, washed up on the beach, in trees, in the forest, 300 meters to the west and 80 meters to the east. One of our boats is parked in Sinalie’s Resort presidential suite (was USD$1500 a night) and their boat is parked in a tree that used to give shade to my room. All Sinalie’s fales near the water are gone. The water made it to almost lap at their upper restaurant. Coconuts Resort is gone. Our neighbours fale is right in the middle of Coconuts Resort, as is an 11 meter dive boat. One 80 year old guest from Coconuts died tragically. She was over for her daughter’s wedding and with a recently broken leg could not run. The owner of Sinalie lost his wife. She was the inaugural winner of the “Miss Samoa” competition and a very prominent lady. That’s all the deaths from our village.
Coconuts Resort will need to be bulldozed flat and started again from scratch, this goes for basically everywhere on the South Coast. Our office, just up the hill slightly, is still standing. There are fish in the office and we found a turtle in the forest (successfully rescued). Maninoa Surf Camp is a write off. The boat I took surfing survived – much to my amazement as I watched helplessly from 100 meters away. Our other boats are cactus though. The new place Wayne (Ryan) has just built behind Coconuts had water flood through the lower story but the structure is fine and the upper story is dry.
I was surfing when the reef that is normally submerged under a meter of water, began to appear. It rose a foot, then two, then three, then I yelled, “Everyone off the reef!” And we all paddled hard out to the channel. We knew what was happening. Immediately before the first wave hit the reef was a 4-meter high cliff protruding out of the sea…and then it was gone.
There were four big waves at a 5-minute period. There were seven guys including myself surfing from my boat. Four of us watched it all from the channel while three got sucked way in and tried their luck at making it to the beach. They all got smashed but all survived without major injury.
I have found a couple of my clothes and thankfully I took two of my boards on the boat that day. My motorbike got washed around but is still near where I parked it. I can’t find the key. I was all packed ready to go back to Australia should news of my sick dad warrant an emergency visit. I had all my year’s savings in my Bible bag along with all my cards and passport. My Bible bag has been found but nothing in it. There’s been lots of looting, it’s very sad. Last night my friends got together for me and blessed me immensely. I am now only just short of the $1700 or so Tala I had saved through the year. I’ve got enough clothes to last me a bit too. I’m off to get some shoes in a minute.
We have no insurance (nor do I personally) and most of the other small businesses are in the same boat. We haven’t heard if any aid will yet be provided except for water, medical supplies and clothing. The simple inconveniences are a real hassle at the moment. No electricity, broken glass and garbage everywhere. Stinky rotten fish and stuff that used to be in peoples freezers, leaking gas bottles, no toilets close by, no running water close to the coast. The sea is completely full of junk, the beaches are covered and the lagoon is so full of trees and huge chunks of broken coral.
For those still thinking of coming to Samoa; the new place Wayne built should be fully functional within a week and the boat I was on is fine for doing surf trips. We will be the first business in our area to resume operating at a decreased level.
Thank God the tsunami didn’t hit at nighttime!
Love Tim
(Since writing this, CS Fiji leaders supported by CSNZ came and served Tim for a week. Tim and Wayne Ryan made the CSNZ conference and shared their need. Tim plans to be home for Christmas and they are seeking to rebuild the camp as the business supports so many local families.)
|