The man who saved his village:Sri Lankan recognized threat, sent 5,000 to

[Judi Lynn]

The man who saved his village
Sri Lankan recognized threat, sent 5,000 to safety

William Hermann
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 14, 2005 12:00 AM

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Harindra Fernando and the other scientists studying the tsunami that ravaged this island nation have heard amazing stories of tragedy, loss, sacrifice and heroism.

But none more amazing than that of Victor Desosa, headman of the village of Galbokka, a man who likely saved thousands of lives.

Arizona State University Professor Fernando and other scientists stopped Thursday in Galbokka to learn why, though the area was hit hard by the giant wave, only one life was lost. In similarly hard-hit areas, as many as one-third to one-half of the residents were swept to their deaths. advertisement

As the team sought along the narrow road on the southwestern coast for a turnoff to the village, a woman who was asked for directions pointed down a narrow dirt track. "You must talk to Victor," she said. "It's because of him that we didn't die."

Soon Fernando and five other scientists on a team sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation were sitting in the hard-dirt yard in front of Desosa's modest home, a home now badly damaged and surrounded by debris swept in by the wave. They asked him why so few had died, and he said he first had to give them a little personal history.
(snip/...)

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0114victor.html

[TlalocW]

1. James Randi has another such story on his site

randi.org in the archives.

Basically a 10-year-old girl from Britain who paid attention in her geology class recognized that a tsunami was coming when the tide suddenly went out and was able to have her parents alert people on the island they were vacationing.

And to just veer off course into personal pet peeves, no "psychics" predicted this disaster. It was people like Victor and the British girl who either paid attention to their surroundings or learned their science or a combination of the two that were able to save lives.

TlalocW

[mistertrickster]

3. Good point--"psychics" never seem to predict anything of importance.

Tsunamis, Sept 11 attacks, serial killers, . . . forget it. It's only after-the-fact that they try to twist things around to give the impression of having foretold it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Great story.