When Penn alumna Lauren Karp moved to Thailand after her graduation in 2004, she had no idea she would narrowly escape the largest natural disaster the world had seen in decades.
Karp and Corey Brooks -- a 2003 Penn graduate -- were on a boat traveling to the Similan Islands off Thailand's southern coast when a tsunami struck on Dec. 26. Over 150,000 people were killed by the wave, which hit after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred on the floor of the Indian Ocean.
"We are so lucky," Karp said in an e-mail interview. "It's hard to comprehend how devastating this disaster was for so many."
Karp has been teaching English at Khon Kaen University in northeast Thailand since last May. While her students took midterm exams, she and Brooks- traveled throughout the region.
"We remained at sea for seven hours after the wave struck, aware of the tsunami but ignorant of its magnitude," Karp wrote. "A woman named Wan ... made good decisions that kept us safe."
Karp said that she and Brooks stayed at sea until their guide thought it was safe to return, having left from a pier destroyed an hour after they left the mainland. Many of the Similan Islands were underwater a few hours after the tsunami hit.
When they returned to shore, Karp and Brooks stayed at a makeshift shelter in a local school, where their guide was reunited with her husband and son.
"Up until those points she was unaware of their safety but never abandoned us," Karp said.
The level of destruction on the shore was overwhelming, she said.
"There were many local people who had lost children, their homes, and their livelihoods," she wrote. They were "crying and even fainting from shock."
According to Laura McCloskey, a professor in Penn's School of Social Work with a background in psychology, many of the tsunami survivors may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The thing that's most stunning and staggering about the crisis is the implication for the people who remain alive and have survived," McCloskey said.
Karp and Brooks spent the night in the school, where a false alarm of another wave forced them to the building's second floor.
"This was probably the scariest moment of our day," Karp said.
The next morning, Karp and Brooks were able to travel by bus to Bangkok. They both donated blood and are currently raising money to send to their tour guide to help her rebuild her home.
Karp said she was impressed with the outpouring of volunteers contributing money, blood and medical services to relief organizations.
"This tsunami is really too big to understand," Karp said. "We really want to encourage people to donate to the Red Cross. Every little bit really helps."
How you can help
Aid agencies accepting donations for the victims of the tsunami that struck southern Asia.
American Red Cross: Call 800-HELP-NOW or visit www.redcross.org.
Doctors Without Borders: Call 888-392-0392 or visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org.
US Fund for UNICEF: Call 800-4-UNICEF or visit www.unicefusa.org.
Action Against Hunger: Call 212-967-7800 x108 or visit www.actionagainsthunger.org.
AmeriCares: Call 800-486-4357 or visit www.americares.org.
