ABSTRACT
Tilly Smith was 10 years old when the tsunami hit the beach at Phuket, Thailand. She was on vacation with her family, enjoying a walk along the shore, when Smith noticed that the water was strangely frothy. It reminded her of a lesson her teacher had just taught on tsunamis. She watched the water and realized that it wasn’t moving out, but was just coming in toward the shore. Smith became convinced there was going to be a tsunami and tried to warn her parents. But her mother and father didn’t believe her. Smith’s little sister became frightened and wanted to get off the beach. Her father agreed to go back to the hotel, but Smith’s mother wanted to keep walking along the beach. Thousands of people died that day, but not one guest at the Smith’s hotel died. They had an early warning from a 10-year-old girl who paid attention in geography class.
