The value of an education
Girl pays attention in class, saves hundreds
National Post, with files from news services
Monday, January 03, 2005
Just before Christmas, 10-year-old English schoolgirl Tilly Smith learned all about tsunamis at Danes Hill Prep School.
So when she saw the water quickly recede as she played on the beach on Dec. 26 in Phuket, Thailand, she knew what was coming.
Her warning saved hundreds and she has been beatified as an ''angel of the beach'' by The Sun, a British newspaper.
"I was on the beach and the water started to go funny," Tilly told The Sun from Phuket. "There were bubbles and the tide went out all of a sudden. I recognized what was happening and had a feeling there was going to be a tsunami. I told Mommy."
She said they had to get off the beach immediately. The alert was raised, and prompted the evacuation of Maikhao beach and a nearby hotel.
The beach was one of the few on Phuket where no was killed, The Sun reported.
Tilly's mother, Penny, said she was "very proud" of her daughter, while Tilly's home-room teacher, Robin Parfitt, said she had "wisdom beyond her years.''
Her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney, said he taught Tilly and her fellow students that after the sea was sucked backward, the next five to 10 minutes were crucial for people to survive.
"I'm stunned at the news but so relieved she and her family are safe," he said.
"Tilly is a very bright, level-headed girl. Nothing illustrates her character more than her brave actions in a terrifying situation."