This article is placed in Jon's family beach Lalomanu
Jon's wife's family is the Taufua clan and they have been hardest hit with 14 dead

 

Lalomanu was written about in Island Magazine as one of the world's ten
most beautiful beaches.  Terence and I surfed there but the surf was pretty sketchy
 just reef pound.  We almost could not make it back in

 

Some pictures of the surf nearby Lalomanu Jon and his daughters. 
The surf pictures are of secret spots that only Jon surfed with close friends. 
I  have a feeling they will remain uncharted for many years to come

 

I just don't want this to become forgotten........so f'ing sad.

 

Stan

 

From: Stanley Chew
To: ralph@adlantic.com , kirby terence

Sent: Friday=2C October 02=2C 2009 10:15 AM

Subject: FW: Samoa Events

My Nephew Jon lost his daughter in the tsunami in Samoa.  Check out the
email below......you can feel the density of this event.

While this is a crushing blow to his family (and the entire Chew family)

it is just one more degree of how we are all related on earth.

Terence and I spent time there and the camp at Salani which is now wiped off
the face of the earth.  The camp management sounded the alarm and virtually

saved the entire village along with the surfers at the camp.  My memories
beyond the surf were of a culture still grounded in tradition, kids singing in dug
out canoes Samoan songs, everybody living in open Fale houses with gardens
around them, people that loved the Samoan way of  life.

Just a beautiful place that is now so sad.

Fa'a Samoa.

Stan

 

 

Date: Fri 2 Oct 2009 11:36:01 +0000

From: chew46@comcast.net

To: stanchew@hotmail.com

Subject: Fwd: Samoa Events





 

From: Dorrance Subject: Samoa Events



Talofa to Everyone

 

I thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts during this surreal

 

time. To update everyone-

 

Moanalei my 9 yr old daughter was trapped in a truck while trying to

 

escape the tsunami with her mother)Mepa) and sister Galo 5 yrs. Mepa

 

and Galo were outside the truck when it hit them and were seperated.

 

Galo wash up amongst a number of bodies the only one alive walked up

 

and found her mother. Mepa found a kayak and held on to it until a boy

 

grabbed her from the top of a coconut tree and pulled her out of the

 

water. Moanalei in the truck was dragged 300 meters underwater and

 

into the mountain and then back down into a whirlpool with the truck

 

being upside down underwater. I retrieved her body fromt he truck when

 

I arrived from Apia. She was trapped inside with no way of getting

 

out. We also lost 14 members of the family in Lalomanu with 2 still

 

missing. 7 children- most under 5 yrs old and 7 adults. The entire

 

South Coast tourism structures and most coastal villages are gone.

 

Apia is fine.



Moanalei's service is today at 5pm our time and she will be buried

 

Friday am next to her grandmother in The Green House where she always

 

wanted to go back to.



Galo has cuts and abrasions and a concusion but is fine today. Mepa

 

has cuts and bruising on her legs but is ok. Tai and Sili are badly

 

cut and bruised Tai had surgery yesterday but still requires more

 

along with one surviving sister.



Some things to mention to ease transition.



Numerology- 9/29/09  9 years old and the 99 victim in Samoa. 9 is a

 

powerful number in Bahia religion as an guardian angel. Moanalei has

 

always been and is now helping even more people



Galo accounted her time underwater as feeling a hand grap her after

 

being in a " not breathing dream" she opened one eye and saw Moanalei

 

smile and say she is OK and pushed her to the surface. This before she

 

knew Moanalei was gone. Weds morning she woke up and the first thing

 

out of her mouth was Moanalei is OK.



Mepa in the morgue was consulting another man whom had lost 2 kids and

 

she was lost in emotion with him she looked at the phone in her hand

 

and a draft text was ready to be sent sayin "I arrived safely!". This

 

one helps me to transfer to this new time in my life.



Please pray for everyone for safe transitions.

 

Love for you all!

 

Jon Long,  Moanalei Long,  Galo Long, and  Mana Long



Please pass this on to others I have missed. Thank you!



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33136749/ns/world_news-asiapacific