Tilly Smith

Last updated

Tilly Smith (born 1994) is a British woman who has been credited with saving the lives of approximately 100 beachgoers at Mai Khao Beach in Thailand by warning them minutes before the arrival of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. [1] [2] Smith, who was ten years old at the time, had learned about tsunamis in her geography class.

Contents

Background

Smith was educated at Danes Hill School, an independent school in the village of Oxshott in Surrey, [3] followed by Stowe School, a boarding independent school in the civil parish of Stowe in Buckinghamshire.

Smith learned about tsunamis in a geography lesson [4] [5] two weeks before the tsunami from her teacher Andrew Kearney at Danes Hill School [6] in Oxshott, Surrey. [7] [8] She recognised the signs and alerted her parents while walking on the beach. "The water was really, really frothy," Smith said. "It wasn't calm and it wasn't going in and then out. It was just coming in and in and in." [9]

Initially, not seeing any obvious sign of a large wave on the horizon, her parents didn't believe her assertion that a tsunami was coming, but Smith persisted, stating curtly: "I'm going. I'm definitely going. There is definitely going to be a tsunami". [10] Her father, Colin, sensing the urgency in his daughter's voice, heeded Tilly's warning. He managed to convince a security guard that a tsunami was inbound: "'Look, you probably think I'm absolutely bonkers, but my daughter's completely convinced there's gonna be a tsunami." [9] [11]

Tilly Smith recounted that, by coincidence, an English-speaking Japanese man was nearby and heard her mention the Japanese word "tsunami", bolstering her claim by saying: "Yeah, there's been an earthquake in Sumatra; I think your daughter's right." [12] The beach was evacuated to the second storey of a nearby hotel before the 9-metre (30 ft) tsunami reached the shore, [13] with patrons narrowly avoiding the tsunami by seconds; Tilly's mother, one of the last to seek refuge, said: "I ran, and then I thought I was going to die." [14]

Ultimately, Mai Khao Beach was one of the few beaches on the island with no reported fatalities, with only a few minor injuries recorded. [9] [15] [16] [17] Colin added, "It was later when we sort of went through what happened we thought how lucky we were, 'cause if she hadn't told us, we would have just kept on walking," he said. "I'm convinced we would have died, absolutely convinced." [9]

Smith's family declined requests to be interviewed by commercial and national broadcasters in the immediate aftermath, but Smith appeared at the United Nations in November 2005, where she met former President of The United States and the serving U.N. Special Envoy for Tsunami Relief, Bill Clinton, [1] [18] [19] and at the first anniversary in Phuket as part of a campaign to highlight the importance of education; she also appeared in an educational video for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. [20] Tilly and her parents later appeared in a segment of the American TV show 20/20. [21]

Awards and recognition

On 9 September 2005, Smith received the Thomas Gray Special Award of The Marine Society & Sea Cadets from Second Sea Lord, Vice-Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent. [6] [8]

Minor planet 20002 Tillysmith has been named after her. [22] In the press, Smith earned the moniker Angel of the Beach. [9] [23]

In December 2005, Smith was named "Child of the Year" by the French magazine Mon Quotidien (a magazine targeted to young readers). [1] [24] At the official tsunami commemorations on the first anniversary of the tsunami held at Khao Lak, Thailand, on 26 December 2005, she was given the honour of reading a poem to thousands of spectators. [25]

"It wasn't devastation or death that won the day. It was humanity that triumphed, the shining victory of generosity, courage, love."

— from a poem by Naowarat Pongpaiboon [26]

Smith's story is incorporated into many teaching resources for children about earthquakes, tsunamis and how to stay safe. [1] [24] [25] [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsunami</span> Series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water

A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petra Němcová</span> Czech model, television host, and philanthropist

Petra Němcová is a Czech model, television host, and philanthropist who founded the Happy Hearts Fund. In 2017, the Happy Hearts Fund merged with All Hands Volunteers to create All Hands And Hearts - Smart Response, with Němcová assuming the role of co-founder and vice chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami</span> Earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the Indian Ocean

On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 Mw struck with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity up to IX in some areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khao Lak</span> Human settlement in Phang Nga Province, Thailand

Khao Lak is a series of villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District and partly in the Thai Mueang District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake</span>

The humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake of a magnitude of 9.1 was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the rim of the Indian Ocean. Particularly hard-hit were the countries of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. About 230,000 people were killed, tens of thousands more were injured, and 1.7 million became homeless and displaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simeulue Regency</span> Regency in Sumatra, Indonesia

Simeulue Regency is a regency in the Aceh special region of Indonesia. It occupies the whole island of Simeulue, 150 km off the west coast of Sumatra, with an area of 1,838.09 square kilometres. It had a population of 80,674 at the 2010 census and 92,865 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 94,876.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Malaysia</span>

Malaysia was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004. Despite its proximity to the epicentre of the earthquake, Malaysia escaped the kind of damage that struck countries hundreds of miles further away. Since the epicentre was on the western coast of Sumatra, the island largely protected the country from the worst of the tsunami. The country's worst affected areas were the northern coastal areas and outlying islands like Penang and Langkawi. The simple red flag warning system used by lifeguards on beaches in some resort areas in Penang was credited to reducing the number of fatalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Thailand</span>

Thailand was one of the 14 countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004. It left behind unprecedented damage and destruction in six provinces of Thailand, impacting 407 villages, completely destroying 47 of them, including prominent tourist resorts like Khao Lak. The disaster killed 8,000 people in Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsunami warning system</span> System used to detect and warn the public about impending tsunamis

A tsunami warning system (TWS) is used to detect tsunamis in advance and issue the warnings to prevent loss of life and damage to property. It is made up of two equally important components: a network of sensors to detect tsunamis and a communications infrastructure to issue timely alarms to permit evacuation of the coastal areas. There are two distinct types of tsunami warning systems: international and regional. When operating, seismic alerts are used to instigate the watches and warnings; then, data from observed sea level height are used to verify the existence of a tsunami. Other systems have been proposed to augment the warning procedures; for example, it has been suggested that the duration and frequency content of t-wave energy is indicative of an earthquake's tsunami potential.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxshott</span> Human settlement in England

Oxshott is a suburban village in the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England. Oxshott includes hilly acidic heath which is partly wooded and occupies the land between the large towns of Esher and Leatherhead. The Oxshott section of the single carriageway north-south A244 runs through its middle and briefly forms its high street, centred two miles from the A3 and the M25.

John Chroston of Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, a biology teacher at Falkirk High School, Scotland, was one of the few tourists present during the Indian Ocean earthquake able to recognize tsunami warning signs and prompt a beach evacuation. Another foreigner who issued an alert was 10-year-old British schoolgirl Tilly Smith at Maikhao Beach. At the island of Simeulue, near the epicenter, and in some villages in Indonesia, villagers who remembered past tsunamis alerted their communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami</span> Destructive tsunami earthquake south of Java Island

An earthquake occurred on July 17, 2006 at 15:19:27 local time along a subduction zone off the coast of west and central Java, a large and densely populated island in the Indonesian archipelago. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.7 and a maximum perceived intensity of IV (Light) in Jakarta, the capital and largest city of Indonesia. There were no direct effects of the earthquake's shaking due to its low intensity, and the large loss of life from the event was due to the resulting tsunami, which inundated a 300 km (190 mi) portion of the Java coast that had been unaffected by the earlier 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that was off the coast of Sumatra. The July 2006 earthquake was also centered in the Indian Ocean, 180 kilometers (110 mi) from the coast of Java, and had a duration of more than three minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Finland</span>

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, by far the worst disaster in the number of lives lost during peacetime Finland, killed 179 Finns in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and caused widespread public debate and investigations into the actions of Finnish officials who were claimed to have failed to help their citizens in the affected areas.

The 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake took place on 2 April 2007, near the provincial capital of Gizo on Ghizo Island, in the Solomon Islands. Its magnitude was estimated at 8.1 on the Mw scale, and 7.8 on the Ms scale. The tsunami that followed the earthquake killed 52 people. According to the USGS, the earthquake was recorded around 7:39:56 a.m. local time (UTC+11). The focus was 10 km (6 mi) deep and 40 km (25 mi) south southeast of Gizo township on New Georgia Islands in Western Province. There were numerous aftershocks, the largest of which had a magnitude of 6.2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology</span> Government agency in the Philippines

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology.

The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. The submarine earthquake occurred in an extensional environment and had a moment magnitude of 8.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). It was the largest earthquake of 2009. The earthquake initiated with a normal-faulting event with a magnitude of 8.1. Within two minutes of the earthquake rupture, two large magnitude 7.8 earthquakes occurred on the subduction zone interface. The two magnitude 7.8 earthquakes had a combined magnitude equivalent to 8.0. The event can be considered a doublet earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami</span> Megathrust earthquake off Japans east coast

On 11 March 2011, at 14:46 JST, a Mw 9.0–9.1 undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approximately six minutes, causing a tsunami. It is sometimes known in Japan as the "Great East Japan Earthquake", among other names. The disaster is often referred to as simply 3.11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miki Endo</span>

Miki Endo was an employee of the town of Minamisanriku's Crisis Management Department, tasked with broadcasting disaster advisories and warnings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rothery, David (2015). Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself. Hachette UK. ISBN   9781473601727 . Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Schoolgirl 'angel' returns with poem". The Irish Times. 27 December 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "Girl's sea warning saved a hundred". The Times. No. 68273. London. 1 January 2005. p. 3.
  4. ↑ de Blij, Harm (2012). Why Geography Matters: More Than Ever. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199977253 . Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  5. ↑ Shaw, Rajib; Takeuchi, Yukiko; Qi, Ru Gwee; Shiwaku, Koichi (2011). "Disaster Education: An Introduction". In Shaw, Rajib; Shiwaku, Koichi; Takeuchi, Yukiko (eds.). Disaster Education. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 1. ISBN   9780857247384 . Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Award for tsunami warning pupil" BBC News 9 September 2005, retrieved 19 March 2008
  7. ↑ "Girl, 10, used geography lessons to save lives" Daily Telegraph 1 January 2005 retrieved 16 December 2005
  8. 1 2 Diacu, Florin (2010). Megadisasters: The Science of Predicting the Next Catastrophe . Princeton University Press. pp.  18-20. ISBN   9780691133508 . Retrieved 7 December 2018. Tilly Smith tsunami Diacu.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 HORNIG, JESSICA (1 September 2023). "From Fear to Survival: Knowledge Is Key". ABC News. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Lessons save lives: the story of Tilly Smith , retrieved 1 September 2023
  11. ↑ Angel Of The Beach , retrieved 1 September 2023
  12. ↑ Angel Of The Beach , retrieved 1 September 2023
  13. ↑ Bath, Gemma (24 August 2020). "Tilly Smith was taught about tsunamis in her geography class. What she learnt saved 100 lives". Mamamia. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Angel Of The Beach , retrieved 1 September 2023
  15. ↑ Hornig, Jessica (22 January 2009). "From Fear to Survival: Knowledge Is Key". ABC News. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  16. ↑ Eden, Jessica (27 February 2018). "Shaky Ground: Tilly Smith, Child Hero". KHSU Diverse Public Radio. Arcata, California. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  17. ↑ Lessons save lives: the story of Tilly Smith , retrieved 1 September 2023
  18. ↑ "UN / TSUNAMI TILLY SMITH". UN Audiovisual Library. 3 November 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  19. ↑ "British schoolgirl hero meets President Clinton: "All children should know what a tsunami is... and how to react," says Tilly Smith". UNISDR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. 3 November 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  20. ↑ Lessons save lives: the story of Tilly Smith , retrieved 1 September 2023
  21. ↑ Angel Of The Beach , retrieved 1 September 2023
  22. ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser".
  23. ↑ "British girl 'saved hundreds' from tsunami". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 January 2005. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  24. 1 2 Dengler, Lori (23 March 2016). "Tilly Smith, Kamome and having 'the talk' with your children". Times Standard. Eureka, California. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  25. 1 2 Malaspina, Ann (2007). Tsunamis . The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. pp.  39-40. ISBN   9781404209787 . Retrieved 7 December 2018. Tilly Smith tsunami.
  26. ↑ Tsunami remembrance ceremony Khaolak commemoration Andaman coastal provinces, 26 December 2007, retrieved 19 March 2008
  27. ↑ Larson, Kirsten (2015). Tsunamis. Carson-Dellosa Publishing. pp. 24–25. ISBN   9781634306195 . Retrieved 7 December 2018.

Smith family

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.