'austraLasia' #91

STRANGE FRIDAY: FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF TERROR WAVE

by SCHUBERT KILOS TININIGUN

Grade 9 Albera

Don Bosco Technical High School

Vanimo, Sandaun Province

Papua New Guinea

VANIMO (PNG): 27th July -- On the seventeenth of July, Friday, all the

students from the different villages in Aitape were getting ready to

return to their respective schools before the start of third term

classes the following week.

At 2 o'clock during that day my youngest Uncle's wife, her third born

son, two of my sisters plus two of their friends and myself were fishing

together in the lagoon. The weather was fine and there was no

disturbance on that fine day, not even the slightest movement of the

wind. The place was so silent and the lagoon was so calm that it looked

more beautiful than ever with the different colours of sunset that made

the place quite innocuous for swimming. So we immensely enjoyed

ourselves unaware of the tidal wave on its way to our village.

We moved East to the lagoon towards Arop village and continued

fishingtill very late in the afternoon. At the time we felt a terrible

earthquake so we stopped fishing and decided to paddle back home. On

our way back to the village, one of my sisters saw many fish scurrying

past our canoe. They were swimming everywhere that we thought it could

be the season of fish, so we cast our nets and began fishing again.

Then as we were pulling the nets we heard a sound coming from the deep

sea which sounds like a jet plane starting to take off. Among the group

I was the first one to see the coming wave like a wild horse throwing

houses, tall coconut trees and everything on its way. Our group ran

towards the small island in the lagoon trying to get away from the giant

wave. I was 4 to 5 meters away from my companions so when I turned I

did not see any of them. Instead what I saw was the sea about to wash

me. I am a member of the Legion of Mary and as I stood on a shallow

water I decided to pray and as I was about to make the Sign of the Cross

I saw the small poster which contain the prayers on my right hand. This

poster is for all Legionaries and we usually recite the prayers as an

assignment. So when I saw this, I just dived down into the shallow

waters waiting for the wave to strike me. I prayer to the creator of

the universe and owner of all lives on earth that He may do His plans

for me whether to take my life or let me live again. But God helped me

to survive so that then I was able to save my companions who were also

floating. We gathered together and floated on a small log, then we swam

towards my village Nimas to the west side of the lagoon. When we

reached that side of the lagoon it was dark and we were very tired to

swim any further so we climb on top of a mangrove tree and waited for

the daylight to guide us back home. Everything was destroyed in the

village and there is only one missing among my clan. I thank God and

Mama Mary in saving us and I won't give up reciting the Rosary for that.