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Cobie's story: Surviving a tsunami Survivors of the tsunami at Rai Ley
gathered waiting for a rescue boat. (Photos by Cobie Davis and Kim
Avila.)Survivors survey the damage to see what can be salvaged. Many boats were
sunk, destroyed or lost. (Photos by Cobie Davis and Kim Avila.) Destruction and
debris at Ao Nang. (Photos by Cobie Davis and Kim Avila.)Construction
Specialties personnel were busy before the snow fell constructing the home of a
new go-cart track, miniature golf course, driving range and arcade on the south
edge of Prairie du Chien along La Pointe Street.
Editor's note: This story was shared with us by Darvin and Ellen Davis.
Their son, Cobie, is teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. Cobie and his
girlfriend, Kim Avila, of Cicero, Ill., were visiting Thailand on their
Christmas break from school. This is Cobie's story of witnessing the tsunami
that he e-mailed to friends and family. The story left off Monday with Cobie and
Kim and a few other people climbing up a rock in the jungle adjoining the beach
to find safety. This is the second of two parts.
We could hear the tsunami wave crashing on the beach and it was a terrible
sound. I had a sinking feeling that at any moment, water was going to come
rushing in from the beach and come crashing over the tree tops. We stayed on the
top of the rock for a couple minutes in complete shock and fear. The noise of
the wave subsided and we climbed down from the rock and started to walk back
toward the beach to see what had happened. We came upon some standing water
before we reached the beach and then all of a sudden people were screaming again
and running past us shouting that there was another wave coming. Once again, the
roar of the wave could be heard building and we ran back to the rock. This time,
the sound was a lot louder. There was a family of five on the rock with us and
their children were crying because they were so scared. After a couple minutes
(it seemed a lot longer) the third and strongest wave could be heard
approaching. The sound was unnerving. I was utterly terrified. I told Kim that
we were fine and the cliffs were amplifying the sound but in reality, my skin
was crawling, my ears were ringing and I was literally trembling. I had a really
awful feeling about our situation. The noise subsided again and after maybe 15
minutes, we could see people walking around. We relaxed a little bit and made
our way off the rock. We walked back toward the beach, ready to make another run
for our lives, and got a first-hand look at how powerful the waves had been.
Bungalows, the restaurant and the shops were pretty much washed out-there were
wrecked longtail boats all over Šsome smashed against trees, others leaning up
against trees and bungalows and there was water everywhere. We could see
sailboats overturned in the ocean and people were just standing around in
complete disbelief. We made our way to the other side of the peninsula and found
nearly 500 or so other people who were beach commuters like us and others who
had been staying in some of the washed out rentals. It was a couple hours before
we started to get little bits of information from people with cell phones. We
slowly understood that other beaches had been hit much harder, like Phuket and
Phi Phi Island. We heard later that other waves were possibly coming so any kind
of rescue was completely out of the question. We ended up sleeping on the hill
with everyone else. The locals started to bring up bottled water from the small
grocery store near the beach and everyone just sat around. There were plenty of
people with some minor and serious injuries. Also, there were a few people that
were missing. I am very thankful that we met two people from Singapore (Matt and
Geri) and they let me use their cell phone to get a message to my brother Andy,
that we were okay. It was still very early in the morning in the US so my family
hadn't even heard about the earthquake/tsunami just yet. Another Singapore woman
(Pat with her daughter, Alanna) let us use some sheets and pillows to sleep on.
On Monday, two large ferry boats came and took us back to the mainland. By now,
the news of the tsunami was unfolding and the death count was already exceeding
70,000. For the most part, Ao Nang was in decent shape and the surge that we
experienced was not as bad as the waves in other parts of Thailand. We spent the
next couple days trying to relax and did some things away from the beach, but we
were compelled to do something to try and assist. We visited the hospital in
Krabi to donate some blood and then spent half the day as volunteers. The scene
was very reminiscent of 9/11- photos of the missing, people walking around with
blank stares and lots of injured. We offered to take a family over to a
different center that was taking DNA from direct relatives of the missing. This
family had flown in from Singapore as soon as they heard their daughter was
missing. The boyfriend had gone scuba diving in the morning and when he returned
(after the tsunami), the bungalow they were staying at in Phi Phi Island was
completely washed away. His girlfriend was gone. After giving DNA samples, the
family left for the makeshift morgue at a nearby temple to go through the task
of looking at cadavers for their daughter. Kim and I went back to our hotel soon
afterwards. We were both crushed by the loss this family was suffering through.
Since then, it has been tough to go back to the same emotional state we had
before the catastrophe. It could have easily been our families in Thailand
searching the dead bodies trying to find their son or daughter. I am not sure if
there is a lesson in all of this. I know my view of the unstable world has been
adjusted. Both Kim and I know how lucky we are to have our families, our friends
and each other, and I think that makes it even harder to comprehend how others
must be feeling right now that are missing people from their lives. More
pictures from Cobie's trip cane be seen at his web site at http://homepage.mac.com/cdd5280/PhotoAlbum17.html
CARE reminds kids that they are "Too Good For Drugs" at Bluff View
In the wake of the termination of the DARE program last spring due to lack
of funding, a new after-school program is up and running for Bluff View fourth
graders. "Too Good For Drugs" is a free, six-week, 12-lesson after-school
program that focuses on building the skills students need to resist peer
pressure and make healthy choices. The Crawford Abuse Resistance Effort (CARE)
and Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital are teaming up to sponsor the program,
which is funded through a Drug Free Community Support Program Grant. "Too Good
For Drugs" will be piloted beginning Jan. 31 until March 9, and then offered to
other area schools in April and May. The program's website said that it has been
implemented in 2,500 schools nationwide. Teaching the course will be CARE
Prevention Specialist Mary Sprosty, who said that the program will in no way be
a replacement for DARE, which was part of the school curriculum as opposed to
the after-school format. "This is reality-based and skill-based," Sprosty said. "There
is some drug education to it, but that's not the primary focus." As students
participate in the program, they will identify their goals. Then, they will
identify behaviors that will help them achieve those goals, such as studying,
saving money and going to college, as well as learn about behaviors that will
prevent them from reaching those goals, such as using drugs and alcohol. "It was
chosen because it is science-based and we have to put all our money towards
programs that have been proven," Sprosty said. A local survey administered in
November, 2003, showed that first-time alcohol use was at its highest at 13
years of age, tobacco use at 12 years. The survey, given to several different
area schools, was part of a state incentive grant received in May, 2004. It
measured a variety of indicators, including healthy behaviors, risk taking
behaviors, school attitudes and violence. According to the developer of the
program, the Mendez Foundation, students who completed "Too Good For Drugs" were
33 percent less likely to smoke cigarettes and 38 percent less likely to use
alcohol compared to students who did not complete the program. Students unable
to get into the upcoming session can be placed on a waiting list for an April
session or summer sessions. Assisting Sprosty will be three Prairie du Chien
High School students who are members of CARE's Youth Leadership Council. The
Youth Leadership Council meets two times a month, identifying concerns and doing
community projects to address them. Some of their projects include the 9/11
memorial on St. Feriole Island, a summer lock-in for incoming freshmen, red
ribbon weeks, and hosting various speakers. The grant to fund "Too Good For
Drugs" is part of a five-year federal grant received by Prairie du Chien
Memorial Hospital in 1999 and renewed in 2004.
For more information on the program, contact Sprosty at 326-0909.
Dreaming of warm weather? Prairie Fun Land to open this summer
In a river town such as Prairie du Chien, recreational opportunities abound.
And, in the summer of 2005, there will be even more options, all in one location
on the south edge of the city. Construction began last fall along La Pointe
Street for Prairie Fun Land, Inc., which will include a go-cart track, a large
18-hole miniature golf course, a driving range and an arcade center. Ken Hess
and Arnie Mueller of Prairie du Chien, along with Duane Hubing of Cottage Grove,
are the owners of Prairie Fun Land, which is scheduled to be completed by May
31. Conceived in 1993 by Hess, Prairie Fun Land will soon be a reality. Hess,
Mueller and Hubing have been working on the project for much of the past two
years. People of all ages will soon be able to zoom along in a test of their
racing skills on the new 1,027-foot-long go-cart track in carts supplied by
Creative Carts of Kissimmee, Fla. The new 18-hole miniature golf course,
constructed by Harris Mini Golf of New Jersey, will provide a fun challenge to
people's putting abilities. The arcade center will house a wide variety of games
for all age groups and golfers can work out the kinks before hitting the links
by swinging all of the clubs in their bag at the driving range.
Prairie Fun Land will be built upon five acres but Hess said that there are
28 acres total at the site, which will allow plenty of room for expansion in the
years to come. "We'll keep expanding as the years go on," said Hess.
Construction Specialties, Ken's Electric and Absolute Plumbing and Heating
will be working at the site.
Tsunami floods Thai
vacation with fear, heartache
Prairie du Chien native witness to destruction
Editor's note: This story was shared with us by Darvin and
Ellen Davis. Their son Cobie is teaching English in Seoul, South Korea.
Cobie and his girlfriend Kim Avila, of Cicero Ill., were visiting
Thailand on their Christmas break from school. This is Cobie's story of
witnessing the tsunami that he e-mailed to friends and family. This is
the first of two parts.
Kim and I flew into Thailand on Christmas Day to spend a week on the
beautiful beaches during our holiday break. Our hotel was located at Ao
Nang Beach which is near Krabi. We got into our hotel in the afternoon
on the 25th and just walked around the shops near the beach and ate some
Thai food. Prior to choosing our hotel in Krabi, we had considered and
inquired about staying at Phuket but decided that Krabi would be better
because it seemed to be a little less developed. On the morning of the
26th, we ate breakfast at our resort and walked down to the beach to
take a longtail boat to a beach. We decided to take a boat to Hat Rai
Ley West, which is about a 10 minute boat ride away. At this time,
(approximately 9:30 a.m.), the last shuttle boat to Phi Phi island had
just left, therefore, Phi Phi was not really an option unless we decided
to take a privately owned boat. Rai Ley (pronounced "Raily") Beach is on
a peninsula but is only accessible by boat because steep limestone
cliffs and mountains prohibit any kind of overland access. There are a
couple luxury resorts at this beach area and a lot of budget bungalows.
There were approximately 30 other beach-goers when we arrived at Rai Ley
(approximately 9:50). The beach is easily the most beautiful beach I
have ever been to . . . the water is emerald green and steep limestone
cliffs tower over each end of the beach. It is almost as if the cliffs
and mountains are purposely there to keep the beach as pristine as
possible. The beach is approximately 250 yards wide and about 20 yards
deep. Palm trees lean out from the edge of the jungle like in all the
typical postcard photos you see. There is only one restaurant on this
beach and a few shops (most watersports shops) lined up behind the
restaurant. Longtail boats taxi people to/from the beach at a lazy pace.
After picking a spot in the sand, Kim and I got in the water and just
soaked in the environment. It was an absolutely gorgeous day at a
breathtaking beach, it was like heaven for us. We returned to the sand
and started to begin our vacation of relaxation. After about ten
minutes, I was looking out at the sea. There are about a dozen
picturesque islands off in the distance (the closest being about a 3/4
mile out). I suddenly noticed a huge spray of water exploding off of the
closest and smallest island (roughly the size of a city block and maybe
50 ft. at its highest point) . . . the spray was so big, that I kind of
thought is maybe come from an explosion (my mind was in vacation mode at
this time). As I was beginning to process my thoughts about what may
have caused this big splash, a man was running down the beach in front
of us and yelling, "Get off the beach! Get off the beach!'' Kim and I
didn't really react just yet, but then we heard some screams and noticed
a few people to our right starting to get up and run . . at that time, I
heard someone mention the work "tsunami.'' At this point, we looked out
at the sea and noticed a large wave (maybe a half mile out) and it was
just beginning to break as it was rushing into shallower water. I
thought for a second and even asked Kim, "Where is our camera?'' But
then it suddenly dawned on us as a chaotic panic started to build that
this was going to be no photo-op. We realized that we were definitely in
harm's way. Once I saw the wave and had the word "tsunami'' in my head,
I had an image of this giant wall of water completely overtaking the
beach and everyone on it (I had actually watched "The Day After Tomorrow''
in our hotel room the night before) Kim kind of jolted me out of my daze
when I could tell she was really frightened and she asked me in an
alarmed voice, "Cobie, what is it? What's happening?!'' I did my best to
use a calm voice and tell her to put on her back pack and started moving
off the beach. We swung on our backpacks and grabbed our hotel towels
(even at this point, I wasn't about to lose any deposit on our hotel
towels) and we started to jog away from the beach. As we were running,
we could hear shrieks coming from behind us as people were starting to
see the waves building up (at this time, the water was also being sucked
away from the beach to fuel the incoming waves). Adding to the building
fear, the roar of the waves was becoming louder and it made us move a
lot faster. We heard people screaming to run for the mountains or get to
high ground. The area behind the beach was approximately 200 yards deep
and not the least bit elevated and then there was thick jungle and the
base of a vertical limestone cliff/mountain. The jungle is not like
anything in the states, it is serious, hard-core jungle . . . So once we
reached its' edge, we just kind of stopped and tried to figure if we
should run left or right, because there was no way to go through the
dense growth. By now, people were totally frantic and running
everywhere. We heard people yelling to climb the mountain, but that was
ridiculous, even if we could get through the trees and vines, we would
have to be Spiderman to climb the cliff. We saw a downed-tree between
two rocks that kind of led into the jungle. I told Kim to follow me up
the tree and then we climbed up the large rock on the right (the rock on
the left was too steep). A few other people followed us as we got to the
top of this jungle-covered rock. It was maybe 25 feet above the ground,
but it was the best we could do and it was better than standing on the
ground. To be continued.
Prison employees protest working conditions Members of the
Wisconsin State Employees Union, employees of the Prairie du Chien and
Boscobel prisons, conducted an informational picket last Wed. Jan.
12.
Conditions inside our correctional facilities are unsafe for
correctional workers, and hence, the public. That was the general
message picketers stood in the damp and drizzle along Marquette Road
last Wednesday to share with the citizens of the area. The picketers
were employees from the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution (PDCCI)
and the Boscobel Secure Programs Facility. The informational picket was
organized by the Wisconsin State Employees Union (American Federation
for State, County and Municipal Employees) in towns and cities where
correctional institutions are located across the state. The protest was
timed to coincide with Gov. Jim Doyle's State of the State address, held
later that evening. According to the employees, the state of the prisons
is not good. They say that overcrowding, understaffing, poorly trained
staff and regulations that put the welfare of prisoners ahead of the
safety of prison staff is compromising the safety at the prisons.
According to Dave Bowen, a sergeant at Prairie du Chien, PDCCI does not
have a serious overcrowding problem, but he does say that staff
shortages are an issue. He noted that people are frequently pulled from
their assigned work stations to other areas where there is not enough
staff. Health and safety is also an issue at PDCCI. Bowen says that
because of medical privacy laws, he and other prison staff are not
notified when an inmate has a potentially serious infection that can be
spread by contact, like staphylococcus (or staph). Bowen says that two
prison employees have been infected with staph by inmates. Gerry O'Rourke,
a sergeant at Boscobel and president of Local 509, discussed problems
with employee morale stemming from a recent court case in which a
Boscobel prisoner was awarded $50,000 for inhumane treatment. The
prisoner, convicted of attempted homicide, refused to follow prison
rules that required that he keep his pants on in order to receive his
meals. When he was not fed he lost 40 pounds and sued the prison. O'Rourke
said the court ruling is demoralizing and creates unsafe conditions for
prison employees. Now he says, when a prisoner refuses to wear pants,
prison guards have to remove the man from his cell, put the food in and
put him back, a much riskier activity.
"We're treated as second class citizens, the inmates have more
rights," he added.
Keller resigns from Cornerstone Church
For a six week period late last year, Pastor Brad Keller said he
took some time to rest up and contemplate his future, as well as the
future of his Cornerstone Church. When he returned from his sabbatical,
which was spent in several different places, he came to the conclusion
that it was time for him and Cornerstone to go in a new direction. In
the Jan. 9 church service, three days after discussing the matter with
the church elders and council, Keller announced to the congregation that
he was resigning effective immediately. "The reason I resigned was that
I felt my season has come to an end at pastoring Cornerstone and that
the reins had to be passed on," Keller said. Keller said he most likely
will not remain in Prairie du Chien for much longer, as he waits for a
call to serve at a different church and community. Keller began at
Cornerstone in 1988 when the church was located at Commerce Court Mall.
Since then, the church built a sparkling new building in Bridgeport on
U.S. Highway 18. "The biggest thing that stands out is the building of
the new facility in 2000," Keller said when asked of his reflections on
his time in Prairie du Chien. Cornerstone congregation member Wendy
Vanderbilt said that she, and many other members, was taken aback by
Keller's sudden announcement, which prompted many tears from attendees. "It
was quite a moving service," she said. "I was surprised, probably a
little bit shocked. He's done an excellent job. In the community, he's
second-to-none." Matt Mink, a college student attending UW-Eau Claire,
noted that he can thank Keller for bringing him back into the Christian
church. "He was the pastor that basically brought me back to Christ,"
Mink said. "When I go home, one of the great things I look forward to is
that church." Vanderbilt said that as a minister, he was very effective.
"I believe he preaches from the heart and really tries to get everybody
to be the best they can be," she said. "He really knows the word and he's
very well-studied." As for the future of Cornerstone, the church will be
putting out a call for a new pastor and appointing his successor, a
process that "will take time." "It's a new season for the church,"
Vanderbilt said. Attempts to reach members of the Cornerstone church
council were unsuccessful. Keller was also active in the community,
serving on the Children's Advisory Board as well helping with the
Salvation Army. "I believe that the success of any pastor is in the
involvement in the community," Keller said.
Kathy Pettit, secretary of the Children's Advisory Board, said that
he will be missed by the board.
"I thought he was a kind, soft-spoken man who truly wanted to help
at-risk kids," Pettit said. "That's sad to lose such a caring person." |
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