Wuan will be arriving from Kuala Lumpur later in the day. She had a suite booked at the Gurney Hotel for the next few days beginning today. The hotel is just across the road from the Gurney Drive seafront that was hit by the tsunami. I checked with the hotel to see if they were affected. I had heard that the entire stretch of Gurney Drive had been cordoned off. The Front Office convinced me that they are still in operation and that Gurney Drive is being cleaned up and they are still accepting guests. We have our apprehensions, fearing an aftershock that could trigger another tsunami. We will be checking out Gurney Drive and shall soon find out if we still want to stay there.

On the other hand, the car of the boyfriend of another neighbour�s daughter was awash in mud. He had parked beside the Gurney Drive seawall and went for a meal nearby. The wave came and dumped a load of mud on everything that was on its way, including his car. The upholstery inside was soiled as well. The cleaning up is going to cost him RM180. I was also informed that the hawker centre at the Gurney Drive roundabout is sodden with mud.

Did the full moon yesterday exacerbated the effect of the tsunami? A check of the Penang tidal conditions provided by Malaysian Meteorological Service indicated that high tide was at around 1:00pm on December 26. According to the US National Weather Service Forecast Office, a tsunami occurring at Spring high tide could be higher and go further inland and most possibly more devastating than other times, which was exactly what happened.

One of my neighbours received news that his former colleague, who was picnicking at Batu Ferringhi with his family, drowned together with his wife. Their teenaged grandchild is still missing after they were swept out to sea by the tsunami that struck Penang Island at around 1:00pm yesterday.

Peter heard this story from someone when he attended a relative�s wake (death not related to the earthquake/tsunami) in Balik Pulau just now. There was this Malay family of father, mother and five children who went out to the beach to gather fishes that was brought in by the first few smaller waves of the tsunami in one of the fishing villages near there. While they were busy collecting the fishes, another big wave caught them and dragged them out to sea. Both parents survived with serious injuries but all the children perished, one who was still an infant. I hope this is just a tall tale but if it is true, this is a sad day indeed.

Here is another unverified report from Peter who just got back from Balik Pulau. The disaster areas, namely the coastal villages that were struck by a tsunami following the earthquake off Sumatra have been cordoned off to facilitate rescue efforts. Lives were lost, injured or unaccounted for. Fishermen at sea when the massive waves came are still missing. Many buildings were badly damaged. Two people who were fishing by the shore suddenly discovered that they could see their line and hook and the bottom of the sea. They looked up and saw a fast approaching wall of water in the distance and ran for their lives up to higher ground. They lived to tell this story. Many did not. Please pray for those who were injured or are still missing and the families of those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.

I believe Penang experienced an aftershock at around 5:00pm just now. I could be mistaken but I thought I felt the floor moving again. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I am still unsettled after that first tremor. However, if there indeed was an aftershock, it could trigger another tsunami, albeit one less damaging than the first. This is not a good time to be near the coasts or out at sea. Be alert. I hope the entry on what to do in the event of an earthquake may be helpful.

I just got off the phone with my nephew who stays with his family at the Pulau Betong fishing village near Balik Pulau. That area was hit by tsunamis subsequent to the earthquake off Sumatra this morning. His father and brother are both fishermen. Luckily they were not out at sea when the massive waves struck. His brother however lost his moored boat which sank after the incident. I am relieved that they are all safe. However there were unverified reports from my cousin Peter who is currently in Balik Pulau that the coastal villages there were badly affected - houses and buildings were damaged, lives were lost and many more injured or still missing.