The day the water struck

What would you do if you were woken by a massive earthquake and a tsunami warning? RACHEL YOUNG talks to Marlburians Dave and Lapu Oliver, who were holidaying on the Samoan Island of Upolu, about the fatal tsunami and the days following

Lapu Oliver fights back tears, thankful to be alive as she recalls the sights, sounds and smells of Samoa in the aftermath of the recent tsunami.

Samoan-born Lapu, along with her husband Dave, travelled to Upolu Island for a family reunion and holiday for three weeks. In the 1 1/2 weeks before the tsunami they spent time around the south side of the island  where ultimately the most damage occurred.

Lapu is quick to point they'd not be alive had they planned their trip differently.

But the Olivers chose to base themselves at Vailima, which is on higher ground closer to the northern side of Samoa, for the next part of their holiday.

On September 30, at 6:48am, an earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale struck. Everyone in the house woke immediately. The family stood in doorframes during the three-minute quake as cracks started to appear in the house.

Dave says, "I've never felt anything like it."

They flicked on a radio to hear the tsunami warning. The roads near their property started filling with hundreds of people fleeing to higher ground. Less than 10 minutes later the tsunami struck.

Lapu and Dave started giving drinks and food to the people gathered near their house as they waited for the all clear to return home.

About 9.30am Lapu found out her cousin, Tui Annandale, had died. Tui, along with her husband, her mother, Anna Schaffashausan, and her mother's nurse were driving near the village of Maninoa when the tsunami hit.
The car flipped several times. Tui was pinned between a tree and the car. Anna later died in hospital. Tui's husband and the nurse survived.

Thankfully, all of Oliver's family members survived.

By 2pm the all clear was given for people to head back to lower ground.

That night, Lapu headed down to a village where she came across more than 20 Kiwi victims wearing nothing but lava-lavas. Quickly, she headed back to her house to grab clothes and food for them. Her brother, a doctor, also treated the more seriously wounded victims. The ex-support worker then tried to focus on helping the people come to terms with what had happened.

Together they all sat telling their stories of the previous 24 hours.

"It's just the little children that broke my heart. The look in their faces traumatised me."

There was the boy who thought he'd lost his dad, the South American who had New Zealand residency but no way to prove it, and the children who survived thanks to the local Samoans literally picking them up and passing them up the hill so they'd be safe.

The next morning at 6am when the church bells rang it caused panic, especially among the tourists, who thought it was another tsunami alarm.

Lapu took the Kiwi victims to the New Zealand Embassy where some were shaking so badly she had to fill in the forms for them.

Meanwhile, when Dave went for a drive to see the state of the island, he knew he had to do something. Death, destruction and devastation were everywhere. The southern side of Samoa was practically flattened. It reeked.
"It was the smell of death."

Headless, limbless human bodies and animal carcasses were scattered throughout the island. The favoured corrugated-iron roofing had proved to be deadly when the tsunami hit.

While Lapu focused on helping the victims, Dave and his niece, Cherie Mackenzie, offered to help the Red Cross with their relief efforts.

The ex-New Zealand army officer ended up at a hospital where Search and Rescue was based. The first task was to give blankets to the people who'd made it to higher ground in the hills behind Lepa.

But when they arrived it became clear the Samoan people had several problems. Dave started noting down what the people needed. Shoes, drinking water, medical help and food were all on the list.

He made a note of where the victims who needed the most medical attention were so when an Australian medical team arrived it was easy to point them in the right direction.

Dave says the people were so grateful for any help they received.

"We got handshakes and thank-yous everywhere."

During the next two days, Dave helped organise a rubbish site, explained how to put up tents, explained why they needed to dig a long drop and unloaded truckloads of clothing and other items for the survivors. He even donated blood.

When New Zealand and Australian aid arrived, Dave and Cherie left their contact details in case their help was needed.

With still nearly a week left on their holiday, the Olivers didn't feel up to much sightseeing but wanted to spend time with their family. The next week, they decided to have a picnic at Saanapu, on the south side of Upolu.

On October 9 a mass service was held to remember the more than 140 Samoan tsunami victims in Apia.

A message from the grave to be careful of the way humans treat the earth was read out. A father read his dead daughter's essay on the ozone layer. It said 'the people of Samoa you must listen to us (the children) this is what is going to happen to the world.'

Lapu doesn't remember the rest. She, along with with everyone else started bawling her eyes out. "I wouldn't think there was any dry eyes out there."

Now, back from Samoa, the memories are mixed.

There was laughter, happiness and smiling but there was also tears, terror and grief.

The sights they saw, the smell of death and the images created by the tales they heard will remain with them forever.

But they are still helping the people of Samoa from their home in Blenheim by donating boxes of goods to the shipping container heading to the Pacific Island to aid the tsunami victims.

TALES FROM SAMOA AS TOLD TO LAPU OLIVER

    An American father of three told his wife to go ahead with their children while he quickly grabbed a pair of pants. The wife and children started up the hill being helped by the local Samoans, when the eldest child turned to see the wave take his dad. The family thought it was the last time they would see their dad, but several hours later, a man was found naked covered in blood on the beach but alive. It was their dad. He survived.

    Two Hawke's Bay teachers arrived at 1am the morning of the tsunami. They had been asleep only a short while when they were woken to be told to leave immediately. One grabbed the glasses and handbag of the other one to help her out. Then they made their way up to higher land following the locals. By the end of the day, they could hardly walk because of the cuts on their feet.

    One woman was heading uphill in a car with people after the second tsunami warning, when it became clear that going on foot would be quicker. But she was left standing in a large pool of water filled with dead animals. She had to make the choice to walk through it or possibly die. When she reached the other side and the tsunami all-clear was given she then had to cross back through it.

- The Marlborough Express