Members of The Gallipeau Harris Foundation visited Tsunami hit areas in Southern Thailand, January 27 – 29th, 2005. The purpose of the trip was to deliver donations, meet local leaders and assess future needs.

The scenes were amazing. First we visited Phuket and Patong Beach.. The beach area was hard hit, with most restaurants, hotels and properties within 100 yards of the beach being damaged. In one local hotel, The Sea Pearl, 22 people died when the Tsunami hit. However, clean-up is progressing quickly and rebuilding taking place feverishly. The damage is limited to the beach areas and a couple of blocks inland everything is normal.

Things are much worse north of Phuket in Phang Nga Province. We visited seaside fishing villages that were completely destroyed by the Tsunami. One village, Ban Nam Kem, lost 30% of its 2000 inhabitants, including 30 school age children. In many instances the damage spreads over one mile inland. Whole areas are laid waste. Where once there was lush, green vegetation there is now brown dirt. Luxury seaside resorts are devastated and now abandoned.

We visited two schools hit by the Tsunami. Ban Nam Kem School and Ban Tub La Mu School. Both schools were badly damaged and lost students in the disaster. Classes are taking place in makeshift classrooms. The focus right now is on improving the spirits of the students through group activities and games and rebuilding the schools. Ban Tub La Mu School is over one mile from the Andaman Sea. Yet when the wave hit the school it was still over eight feet high and destroyed the school classrooms.

It’s estimated that almost 200 school children in the region lost one or both parents. The Thai government has set-up bank accounts for these children. We decided that the Foundation would donate to these children, who range in ages from six to sixteen.
Of the $10,000 we had to donate, $8,000 went directly in to the bank accounts of the 193 children who lost parents. We did this through the Krung Thai Bank located in Khoa Lak. In addition we donated $1000 directly to the Principals of Ban Nam Kem and Ban Tub La Mu schools to support reconstruction projects at those schools.

It is very difficult to put into words the destruction and devastation that occurred in this area. Of the total death toll in Thailand of 5,384, over 4,000 are from the Phang Nga Province, with an additional 1,800 still missing. The power of the Tsunami was awesome. It destroyed all in it’s wake, tossing huge boats around like corks and depositing them into fields one mile from the sea shore. It is going to take years for this area to recover completely. Obviously some families and villages will never recover.

We thank everyone that donated to The Gallipeau Harris Foundation for Tsunami relief – we believe that we have helped make a difference directly with those that need it most. 100% of the money that we received went to the children and the schools.

It is our intention to continue to help in this badly hit area in the future. Any and all additional support is appreciated. The Foundation will be visiting the schools and children again in May to follow-up and provide additional support.

Andy Harris
President
The Gallipeau Harris Foundation
February 14th, 2005

The severely damaged Sea Pearl Hotel, Patong Beach, Phuket. 22 people died in this hotel when the tsunami hit.
Patong Beach restaurants destroyed but rebuilding.
Khun Krisorn and his wife - our hosts and guide to Phang Nga.
Destroyed resort in Koa Lak, Phang Nga.
Navy vessel deposited by tsunami, one mile from Andaman Sea
Meeting the Principal and children of Ban Nam Kem SChool
Talking with children who lost parents in tsunami
Talking with children who lost parents in tsunami
Making the donation to Ban Nam Kem School
The devastated fishing village of Ban Nam Kem
Huge fishing boat dumped in main street of Ban Nam Kem village
Students at Ban Tublamu School taking part in group activities.
Making donation to Bantublamu SChool Principal and orphaned students
Chatting with students that lost parents in tsunami
Destroyed classrooms of Bantublamu School