| Amid all the chaos and desperation in tsunami-hit areas,
some Singaporeans who are still in these countries say
they experienced unifying moments as people rally round
to cope with the disaster.
Singaporean singer-actress Michelle Saram, who has
been holidaying in southwestern Sri Lanka since Christmas
Eve, was not as badly affected by the tidal waves.
But she tells Channel NewsAsia why she is not taking
the first flight out yet.
Said Ms Saram: "We're on the south-western coast
so we're not exactly affected. What we got were, we
were not exactly hit by the tidal wave but it's more
like the surge. The water came up I guess a hundred
metres more than it usually does. That was very strange
and frightening.
"Apprently some of the hotels, the whole first
floor of it got damaged, and some of the hotels got
swept away. There was silt everywhere on the road; there
was a a rowing boat left in the middle of the road.
"The mood is a state of emergency, trying to help
wherever anyone can. We also heard reports that there
might be another wave so we're bracing ourselves for
that as well. We've discussed it and we were saying
whether to move inland to the mountains where it'll
be safer. But phone lines are all jammed and I think
everyone's having the same idea. Right now because of
the confusion, because some of the roads are blocked
and the mess, I think it's best that we stay here."
She added: "Everyone's sort of rallying. The hotels,
the ones that are untouched, are opening their doors
to those who lost their homes. And I think the people
here are going to see what are the damages and see what
we can offer. The people who have been here and unhurt
felt so so fortunate, so unbelievably lucky and because
of that we feel we should see what we can do to help
those who have been affected." - CNA
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