Family survives tsunami

Elia Powers

Unfolding a table-sized map of Sri Lanka, Newport Beach resident

David Rager traced the path that he and his family traveled on the

day the tsunami hit Southeastern Asia.

He moved his finger less than an inch, showing the drive from a

coastal community to an elephant orphanage a few miles inland.

On that day, the short distance meant everything.

While raging waters enveloped communities only minutes away, no

one in Rager’s traveling group of eight heard or felt anything. Four

days later they had left the country. And now they are home, trying

to sort out details and regroup from an unforgettable journey.

Rager hasn’t let the experience slip far from his mind. He is

writing a comprehensive, first-person account of the family’s trip.

“My feelings were bottled up for awhile,” Rager said. “I felt like

I had to confront my emotions in writing.”

The story still has an unfinished chapter. As of Monday night,

Anna Rager, David’s wife, was awaiting a phone call from her sister,

who stayed behind to tend to her Sri Lankan vacation home in the

southern coastal city of Tangalla.

Text messages sent shortly after the tsunami from Anna’s sister to

her family in England alerted them that she had survived. Her house,

where the rest of the family had stayed until Dec. 26, suffered no

harm because it was elevated from the water.

But according to Anna Rager, at least 400 people in the small town

perished -- many of them tourists. Recent reports show that nearly

30,000 people died in Sri Lanka.

The Ragers might have been caught in the water if not for a

fortuitous choice. When the Internet went down in a cafe in the heart

of Tangalla, the family decided to continue its trip and head inland.

Only a short time later, the storm swept through the village.

“We drove right through the eye of the storm right before it

happened,” said Kevin Rager, David and Anna’s 22-year-old son. “I

bought some jewelry from a woman whose shop was in town. It’s sad to

think that her store is probably gone now.”

The family heard the news of the tsunami by osmosis, from police

guards, tourists and broken-up radio reports. David Rager said it was

hard for them to comprehend the scope of what had occurred.

“I didn’t understand how there could be water everywhere,” he

said. “It’s like one of those horror movies where you are so close to

something but can’t see the impending danger. We had no knowledge of

what was happening, so we couldn’t be afraid.”

Rager said the family didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the

tsunami until days later, when they saw televised images from the

airport.

Anna Rager’s mother wanted to drive back to Tangalla to be with

her daughter, but police recommended the family leave immediately.

Before leaving, David Rager said he saw signs of hope.

“Those with almost nothing were willing to share everything,” he

wrote in his memoir, which he does not plan to have published. He

said hotel owners were giving survivors free housing in their

hallways as a show of goodwill.

Since returning, Rager said he is focused on raising money through

his church, St. Matthew’s in Newport Beach.

He said it is one way the family can still feel connected to the

event.

“All of us are feeling a certain amount of survivor’s guilt,” he

said. “We’re just so thankful we were kept out of harm’s way.”