City women cheat death as tsunamis strikes

Two Wanganui women cheated death as the tsunami struck Thailand. Now Trudy Samson plans to stay in the area to help locals deal with the tragedy.
Trudy and her mother, Vicky Samson, were staying a mere five metres from the shore at the now demolished Phi Phi beach resort, in Thailand.
Vicky Samson said that while they were having breakfast she saw the water suddenly disappear and some people mentioned tsunami.
"I went to wake my boyfriend, and by the time I got outside the water was up to the hut.
"It wasn't like a wave. The water just rose up then slammed into us.
"We couldn't outrun the wave; my mum was hanging on to a pole for dear life. All I could hear was screaming and chaos," Miss Samson said.
"Luckily enough, there was a hill behind our hut, and I managed to get to it."
Stories of survival and bravery are surfacing as survivors contact family and friends at home.
Vicky Samson's boyfriend was still in the hut when the wave raised it 15 feet and smashed it into a neighbouring hut.
"He just walked out of the wreckage with our bags. I still don't know how he survived.
"We then just got to the highest point, where some locals were praying, and hoped the next wave wasn't going to be as bad."
Both Trudy and her boyfriend plan to stay in the region to help with the clean-up and aid.
Vicky Samson escaped with damaged ribs, cuts and bruises. She will be back in New Zealand by the New Year.
Quick thinking on the part of Wanganui-born Sarah Wong and her partner saved the lives of two victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.
Miss Wong's mother, Kathleen Wong, said her daughter rang not long after it happened.
"Because I wasn't watching the Tv that much, I didn't realise Sri Lanka was involved, so I didn't worry about her that much until she rang," Mrs Wong said.
Miss Wong and her partner were staying at the Light House Hotel in Galle, on the southern end of Sri Lanka, when the mammoth wave struck.
"On the Monday, they were intending to go for a walk along the beach," Mrs Wong said.
"They witnessed the huge wave knock people off the rocks that were directly in front of the hotel.
"Seventeen people were on the rocks at the time, and 12 of them didn't survive," she said.
However, quick thinking by the pair saved the lives of two children washed off the rocks.
"Her partner brought the children out of the sea."
Luckily for the couple, the rocks around the hotel broke up the wave, although all the vehicles in the car park and the ground floor of the hotel were seriously damaged.
Miss Wong is now home and safe in Australia.
Wanganui Collegiate pupil Richard Wells was on holiday in the Maldive Islands when the disaster struck.
Richard's mother, Julie Wells, said he was staying with a friend and his family when it happened.
"I haven't heard anything from him since Sunday, but what I do know is that he is okay."
The 15-year-old was at a diving school at the time.
"If it had happened 15 minutes later, they would have been in the middle of it."
Trying to get in contact with people in the affected area has been hard but authorities are asking for people to be patient.
If you have ? or know of anyone with ? pictures of the tsunami-hit region, the Wanganui Chronicle would like to hear from you.
Call the news desk on 06 349 0728 or email news@wanganuichronicle.co.nz