Former Skating Coach Caught in Tsunami

David Roy is the former skating coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Canadian National Team and Canadian Women's Olympic Team, and has conducted skating schools in Canada and the USA for over 28 years. Each year he works with over 1,400 hockey skaters from various parts of the world. David currently works with the Vancouver Canucks

Family members caught, and were thrown, tossing and turning, in the water

The last three days have been a wild roller-coaster ride for the Laurie and Roy families of Kelowna after four family members were caught in the killer tsunami Sunday morning

Mikel Laurie and his wife, Sarah, were inside their beach bungalow on Phi Phi Island on the coast of Thailand when they heard screams and rushed outside, said Mikel's father, Rev. Wayne Laurie of St. Paul's United Church in Kelowna

"They were hit by the first or second waves, two to three metres high I would guess. Their bungalow and 100 others were destroyed; everything was gone," said Rev. Laurie. "They were tossing and turning, not knowing what was up or down, caught up in the debris of beach chairs, umbrella poles, palm trees and timbers, thrashing for their lives." Mikel, 26, is an associate pastor at St. Stephen's United Church in Qualicum Beach, and Sarah, 24, is an area director for the Young Life youth program, "Both have strong faith and remember calling out Jesus' name. Somehow, they came to the surface. They are athletic, so they managed to swim to a concrete building, scale it and hang onto an iron bell while they watched the waves come in," said Laurie

Dave and Jamie Roy, Sarah's parents, were near their beach bungalow and couldn't outrun the waves, so they, too, were caught in the water. Jamie joined her daughter and son-in-law at the concrete building and, for the next 90 minutes, they were terrified Dave had died. A New Zealand tourist had apparently jumped in the water and rescued Dave, but one leg was cut to the bone by debris

His injuries were so serious, a military helicopter rushed him to a Phuket hospital. Mikel's hand had been ripped open by debris in the water, but it wasn't considered serious enough for immediate evacuation Mikel, Sarah and Jamie spent Sunday night huddled on a hotel rooftop not knowing if Dave and Jamie's son, Adam, and daughter, Lindsay, had survived a shopping trip to the village. They were found unhurt at the ferry slip the next morning, creating a tearful reunion

Due to his injury, Mikel was placed on the first ferry back to Phuket and the rest of the family had to wait for the second ferry. While Sarah searched frantically for Mikel's hospital, one of six in the city, Jamie and Rev. Laurie, on the Internet in Kelowna, tried to find a hotel room since Dave was expected to be in hospital for a week.