Some Samoa Tsunami human stories

There have plenty of news reports about all aspects of the Samoa Tsunami disaster. Here are some real human stories that are somehow wave related -- not necessarily freaque waves, but they could be:

From TVNZ:

A two-year-old Auckland boy is missing and presumed dead after being swept away from his parents in the Samoan tsunami.

The child had been on a beach on Samoa's main island of Upolu when the 6m wave struck, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported.

His parents, who have yet to be named, swam to safety.

After being taken to hospital yesterday with minor injuries, the parents were discharged later and are staying at the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa.

The family were holidaying at a resort near the village of Lalomanu. Tsunami warnings were given, and the newspaper reported they were trying to escape to higher ground when the waves struck.

From the Australian:

THE husband of a woman killed in the Pacific tsunami has described the moment she was torn from his arms as the desperately pair clung for survival.

John and Maree Blacker were holidaying in Samoa to celebrate her 50th birthday when they were swept up in a huge wall of water in Samoa early yesterday morning.

The couple were in their room when the earthquake hit and ran to the carpark and held on to each other as the first wave came.

Mr Blacker, who survived the deluge, said his wife Maree was torn from his arms and drowned as the couple were swept up by a second wall of water.

The Tasmanian told The Hobart Mercury that the wave tossed him around, submerged him and pounded him with debris, for what seemed forever.

Mr Blacker, who cannot swim, said he found it impossible to believe he had survived.

Somehow he was able to anchor himself to a palm tree.

From brisbane times:

A Sunshine Coast couple are lucky to be alive after a tsunami swept through their luxurious Samoan boutique resort early yesterday morning.

Chris and Wendy Booth were forced to cling desperately to an outside handrail as water surged up through the floor of the Sea Breeze resort, smashing out the back door and throwing them outside.

"We managed to hang on to a handrail. My husband and I just hung on to each other and the handrail and then that one (wave) went, but the suck-out was tremendous," Wendy Booth told Fairfax Radio network.

"The force of the wave took furniture through the roof. The furniture was pushed with the ferocity of the wave through the ceiling."