Tsunami in Thailand | The Missing | 4

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0:26Police Lieutenant Satyen Paunoi sprints along a pier on Kalanta, Thailand. It's early afternoon, December 26, 2004, and the island has just been walloped by a series of massive waves. Fortunately, the long, sloping beaches and coral reefs that ring the landmass seem to have absorbed most of the impact. But Pau Noi fears that other parts of the country haven't been so lucky. He's especially concerned about the Emerald Cave on Kamuk, and so he's racing to find a boat that will take him there. Pau Noi has been to the Emerald Cave many times. It's one of Thailand's most popular destinations, a pristine beach accessible only by swimming through a long tunnel, half submerged in the ocean.

1:14Boats leave daily from the pier at Kalanta, ferrying tourists 12 miles southeast to the cave entrance. Pau Noi's worried. What if the waves hit the sightseers just as they were swimming through the tunnel? He tried radioing the boat's captains, but had no luck. He comes across the owner of a fishing trawler who's mopping water from his deck. I need a boat to take me to the Emerald Cave. The man looks at Pownoy like he's crazy. He points toward the ocean, where three-foot swells surge toward the shoreline. Look at those waves. They might not be as big as before, but they're still dangerous. Please, there are tourists there who could be injured.

1:55The captain snorts. If you go out into the sea, you'll die. Without a word, Pao Noi turns on his heels. He asks other fishermen for help, but gets the same response. He only has one option left. He runs to where his jet ski is parked. Pao Noi unties it from the anchor, hops on, then starts the engine. He knows it's risky, but he can't knowingly abandon any survivors. In seconds, he's bouncing over the waves, heading south toward the Emerald Cave.

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3:25From Wondery, I'm Cassie DePeckel, and this is Against the Odds.

3:33As the first waves of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck the coast of Thailand, thousands were killed almost instantly. But thousands more survived, with many suffering severe wounds. As the waters finally began to recede from the shoreline, they exposed a horrific scene of death and destruction. Survivors combed through the wreckage, searching for loved ones. Hospitals were overwhelmed with the injured, and their supplies stretched thin. In the aftermath, strangers who were spared came together to save what remained. This is Episode 4, The Missing.

4:19Watcheri Tongtay stands at a second floor window and yells out the name of her youngest daughter. Sudarat! Sudarat! But there's no answer. Watcheri grows more frantic. Not long ago, she found her older daughter, eight-year-old Rati Khan. A woman in the village had grabbed Rati Khan after she was swept from Watcheri's arms in the tsunami. Once the water receded, the woman who saved Rati Khan brought her to Watcheri. Watcheri embraced her daughter with all her might, and the two of them climbed back up to the second floor of the building, where other survivors have gathered. They feel safer up here in case another wave comes in.

5:01Watcheri keeps calling for Sudarat. Her youngest is only three. How could she have survived? Everywhere Watcheri looks is destruction. and death. A car has been pushed onto its roof, its undercarriage glinting in the sun. Branches and shards of lumber float on the water's surface, so do bodies. Some are upturned, their faces pale, their eyes open. Her thoughts flash to her husband, Wiman, who was out to sea fishing when the waves hit. She doubts his small wooden longtail boat could have withstood the force of the water. A darkness consumes her, a despair so heavy she feels like she might collapse under its weight.

5:48Below her, she sees a man wearing nothing but boxer shorts waiting up the street. The water is only shin deep now. To think that just a half hour ago, it was a raging torrent that ripped entire buildings from their foundations. Watchery calls down to the man. Sir, have you seen a little girl? She's three. She's my daughter and I can't find her. But the man doesn't even look up. Watch Eri squeezes her fists, feels her fingernails digging into her palms. She looks in the other direction, then back toward the man walking up the street. He approaches a body that's floating face down, wedged against an overturned sofa.

6:31The man lifts the head to examine the face, then drops it back into the water. She realizes everyone still alive in Namkem is searching for their loved ones too, just like her. If Watcheri is going to find Sudarat, it's up to her. She goes over to Rati Khan, who's sitting on the floor, her back against a wall. Watcheri gets down on one knee and embraces her. I'm going to look for your sister. I'll be back soon. Ratican looks up at her mother, and Watcheri sees fear in her eyes. No, don't leave me. Watcheri pulls her close again. I promise I'll be careful. After a long moment, her daughter nods.

7:19Outside, Watcheri wades through the water, shouting Sudarat's name over and over. Ratican's survival was a miracle. Is it too much to ask for another?

7:34Dr. Woot Winotai ties off the last suture over a gash in a patient's thigh. The patient, a man in his 20s, squirms in pain. He squeezes the hand of a nurse who runs a towel over his sweaty forehead. Normally, Winotai would be doing this procedure in a proper exam room with gurneys. Instead, this man is stretched out on a bench in the hallway of Tocoapa Hospital. The hospital, which serves the nearby village of Namkem, is overrun. At last count, more than 2 ,000 patients have been admitted to a facility with just 177 beds. Winotai and his colleagues are completely overwhelmed. Several hundred patients arrived with serious injuries, head wounds, internal trauma, broken limbs.

8:25Many have died, and Wino-Tai knows it's only going to get worse. They're quickly running out of supplies, like gauze. As Wino-Tai peels off his rubber gloves, the nurse tears strips of cloth from a surgical gown and wraps it around the man's thigh. Wino-Tai would like to ask his patient how he survived the wave, but there's no time. So he gives the man a reassuring smile and turns away. In the time he tended to the young man, even more patients filled the hallway. He imagines this is what a battlefield hospital must be like. And for the medical staff, there's not a moment to rest. He stops by a woman who's doubled over, heaving.

9:09So many survivors have come in with water in their lungs. They may have escaped the waves, but some are still drowning. The hospital's six respirators are all in use. and the nearest hospital is hours away. So the medical staff is trying to encourage the patients to expel the water. Weenotai kneels down as the woman's shoulders shake from the effort of coughing. He puts a hand on her back. I know it hurts, but keep going. You need to get all of that out of your lungs. The woman nods, trying to catch her breath. Then another fit of coughing ripples through her. She spits muddy water onto the hospital floor.

9:50Winotai is confident this woman will live, but he knows some of the older patients won't. They just don't have the strength to clean out their lungs, and soon they'll suffocate. Winotai closes his eyes momentarily and draws in a deep breath. He's lost so many patients already. How many more will die before night falls?

10:17Wiman Tongtay wades toward the shore at Nam Ken. His brother Prokong and the two men they rescued from the sea help him pull his long-tail boat. None of them speak, crushed by the devastation around them. Through the stands of trees, Wiman can see a glimpse of the wreckage beyond. Overturned cars, splintered wood, toppled homes. A flash of color catches Wiman's eye, and he looks up to see a man in a red shirt, dead, draped over a branch of a tree that's 15 feet above the ground. Wiman can't believe the water had reached that level, but here's the proof. Wiman's home is less than a half mile down the beach.

11:03He thinks of his wife and daughters, his siblings, his mother. Will Percong and he be the only survivors? Wiman anchors the boat in the shallow water, and the four men wade onto the sand. The men who Wiman rescued turn and bow to him, thanking him again. Wiman shakes his head. Please, you would have done the same. The men head off to look for their families. Wiman sinks to the sand, his head in his hands. He knows he needs to muster the strength to look for his own family, But he needs a second to collect himself. Behind him, he hears a creaking sound and turns to see his precious long-tail boat slowly sinking into the shallow water where he'd anchored it.

11:52In seconds, even its elevated prow has disappeared beneath the surface. He remembers the prayer he uttered on the ride back up the coast after the waves hit. He'd wanted the boat to last just long enough to get him home. His prayer had been answered. He gets up and walks over to Perkong, who is sprawled, exhausted, on the beach. Let's go. It's time to find Watchery and the girls. They walk inland until they reach the road that leads to their village. But even from here, he can see that the path to Namkem is strewn with rubble. Just then, a pickup truck approaches. The driver breaks next to them.

12:36Where are you going? To Nam Kem, to find my family. The driver shakes his head. There's no one left there. They've ordered the village cleared in case another wave comes. Anyone who survived has already evacuated. Wiman peers down the road, as if he might see past the next bend, through the trees and into his home. He looks at the driver. What have the village survived? I'm sorry, the village is gone. I'm headed to the hospital. I can give you a ride. Wiman stands there for a moment, drawing deep breaths. Whatever little shred of hope he had that his family might have survived is vanished. His grief feels like something physical, as if it's pressing down on him from every direction.

13:23The sea took too much today. He realizes he may never even find their bodies. Weemon nods, and he and Prakong get into the back of the man's truck.

13:39Police Lieutenant Satyen Paunoy squeezes the handles of his jet ski as it bounces over the waves. He's zipping through open water on his way to the tiny island of Kamuk, where he's worried tourists visiting the Emerald Cave have been stranded. But even though the worst of the tsunami has passed, the seas are rough. Several times over the past hour, the waves have almost thrown him from the jet ski. But now the granite cliffside of Kamuk's western coast finally comes into view. He can see the waves breaking against the stone walls as he motors closer. Paonoi eases up on the throttle as he nears the tunnel opening.

14:20He leans into the turn, steering the jet ski into the cave. The tunnel walls are barely big enough to fit him on his jet ski, but he inches forward. Even though it's mid-afternoon, the tunnel is so long that its middle section is dark. He moves slowly. He doesn't want to hit his head or crash the jet ski. Paunoi tries to listen for the sound of voices, but the echo of the jet ski's engines is too loud off the walls. He slows the jet ski even more, worried he might bump into a floating body. The tunnel grows brighter as he nears the exit and then he emerges. Spread out around the beach and up the hill surrounding it are dozens of people.

15:08And on the sand, he sees two bodies, deathly still.

15:24Olivia Sue looks up at the sound of a motor. Around her, other survivors, including her sisters, stand up and point towards the entrance to the tunnel. They've been sitting here for hours, waiting for someone, anyone, to come rescue them. And then Olivia sees a man on a jet ski emerge from the tunnel. She watches as her brother Edward wades over to the man, and they exchange a few words. Then Edward turns and hurries in her direction. Olivia, we need to get you on that jet ski. I think you have a concussion. You need a doctor. Olivia lifts a hand to her forehead, gently massaging the bump there.

16:05She's in a daze. She's not sure if it's from the blow to her head she took, or if it's the shock from seeing her mom's dead body on the beach. Olivia's never felt so desolate Not only is her mother gone, but so is her stepfather Both of them killed by this freak wave Edward helps her to her feet She feels dizzy as she stands With her weight sagging against him, they take tentative steps toward the water When they reach the shore, Edward and the other man lift her onto the seat of the jet ski And she wraps her arms around the pilot's chest She leans her head against his back and closes her eyes.

16:48My name is Lieutenant Pau Noi. We're going to get you some help. Just hold on to me. You're going to be okay. But Olivia thinks she may never truly be okay again. Then the jet ski accelerates gently, and they're back in the cave. As they make their way through the small tunnel, Olivia squeezes her eyes shut. She can't bear to look at the last place she saw her mother alive.

17:18Ed Moosh limps along the deck of a large sailing vessel, alongside his grandson Michael. They're on their way to Phuket. It will take three hours, but there's no hospital any closer. And both Michael and Ed's wife Helen need medical attention. Michael has a broken arm, but Ed's especially worried about Helen. She's struggling to breathe, and he's concerned she has internal injuries. Two hours ago, this sailboat picked up Ed and Helen from a long-tail boat that had rescued them from the wreckage off Peepee Don Island. After they boarded the sailboat, the captain, a Swedish man, put his crew and his boat at Ed's service.

18:00Ed's first request was oxygen for his wife. Unfortunately, the boat didn't have much, so Ed radioed a fellow sailor who picked up more oxygen from Ed and Helen's boat, Tahlequah. He also brought their grandson Michael back to them. For the first time since the wave, Ed, Helen, and Michael are together again. Ed reaches over and gives Michael's good arm a squeeze. He's so grateful he and Helen didn't wake Michael up this morning to come with them to pee-pee dawn. If they had, he might be dead now. Ed turns back toward the horizon, squinting into the mid-afternoon sun. He nudges Michael. There, that's Phuket.

18:43Ed points to the coastline rising up on the horizon. I need to tell Helen we're almost there. He turns and heads to the steps, which take him into the cabins, where Helen is stretched out on a cot. A respirator covers her face. Even with the oxygen, each breath makes her wince in pain. Ed leans down to her and runs his palm over her forehead. Just hang on. We'll be at a hospital soon. He climbs back to the deck, then goes to the bridge, where the captain is peering ahead through binoculars. He lowers them and turns to Ed. I heard on the radio that Phuket was spared much of the damage. We'll be near the pier soon, but for the sake of speed, I'm going to lower the ship's tender, and we'll take Helen to shore that way.

19:31Ed nods. He knows the tender, the smaller boat attached to the side of the ship, can maneuver more quickly through the water. The captain turns to his first mate and says something in Swedish. The crew member motions for Ed to follow him. The two men go to the cabin where Helen is lying, and together they help her to the deck. Michael is waiting for them there. By then, the boat has stopped, and other crew members have placed the tender in the water. Ed and the first mate lower Helen gently toward the other boat, while the crew members beneath reach up to help her into it. Once she's situated, Ed makes his own way onto the smaller boat.

20:12He moves gingerly. His hip and legs are killing him. Michael follows behind him. As Ed takes a seat, he's surprised to see the captain climb aboard with them. They speed off toward the dock. Even now, at least four hours since the waves hit, the water is still choppy. Ed cradles Helen's head as the tender bounces over the waves. The little boat slows as it nears the dock, and a crew member jumps off and ties it down. Ed goes to help lift Helen off the boat, but the captain, a big beefy man, beats Ed to the task. The captain gathers Helen in his arms and steps onto the dock. He carries Helen along the pier.

20:58Ed and Michael trail behind. Then paramedics load Helen into a waiting ambulance. Michael gets in after her. Before Ed climbs in, he turns to the captain to thank him. But the captain is holding out a wad of bills, and he stuffs them into Ed's hand. This will help at the hospital. Ed is confused, but then realizes that his wallet and money are gone, taken by the wave. Still, this seems too generous. The captain has already done so much. Ed tries to return the money, but the man is already hurrying back to the tender. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Ed climbs into the back of the ambulance to join Helen and Michael.

21:42Ed watches as the paramedics treat Helen, taking her blood pressure, replacing her oxygen. Finally, she's getting the care she needs.

21:5613-year-old Monica Ribeiro pushes her way through the thick foliage on the mountain that towers over the Cowluck Beach. She emerges onto a small overlook. Hundreds of feet below are the sea and the swamped remains of Cowluck. She sits down on a rock, hugging her knees. She finally feels confident she's made it high enough that she'll be safe from any more waves. She was so desperate to get to higher ground that she refused to stop moving. She even crawled forward at one point. Now, as she catches her breath and the exhaustion sets in, she hears the voices of a few other survivors who have also stopped here.

22:37A German woman comes up to her and offers her a towel. Monica accepts it and wraps it around her shoulders. Then the woman looks at her closely. Are you alone? Monica pauses for a second. She doesn't know how to answer. She came to Thailand with her parents, but the last image she has is of them behind her, running from the wave. Then they were gone, and all she could see was the water. Did they survive? Monica thinks back to her own narrow escape, how all the debris kept forcing her underwater, how close she felt to drowning, the sight of all the dead bodies around her. She looks up at the woman.

23:23Yes, I'm alone. The woman shakes her head sadly, then goes and speaks in German to a man Monica assumes is the woman's husband. From the way they keep glancing in her direction, Monica knows they're talking about her. She looks down toward the beach, or what used to be the beach. While much of the water has receded back into the ocean, the coastline is still submerged. The trees appear to be growing out of the water. She sees people waiting listlessly amid all the wreckage. The beach umbrellas, the plastic chairs, the half-sunken cars. Monica realizes they're looking for their loved ones. Even up here, she can hear distant cries of names being shouted.

24:12Farther down the cliffside, she sees more survivors, including an older man. All of a sudden, he cries out and a young woman rushes into his arms. It's a father and a daughter reunited. She feels a stab of jealousy. She's certain there will be no emotional reunion for her and her parents. but a part of Monica also feels something profound, that no matter what, she'll be all right.

24:44Wiman Tongtay jumps out of the pickup truck outside to Koapa Hospital. Just before he goes to push open the hospital doors, he stops. He feels his brother Prakong's hand on his shoulder. We have to go in. Wiman sighs. The hospital is an obvious place to look for his family, but he's petrified of what he might find. But his need to know overrules his fear. He pushes the door open and is greeted by pandemonium. Patients are slumped in chairs. Others are lying on the floor. An orderly mops up blood from the middle of the hallway. Wiman looks around, stunned by what he sees. Then he regains his focus.