From the New York Post:
PHUKET, Thailand – Quick-thinking 10-year-old Tilly Smith is being hailed as a hero after saving her parents and dozens of fellow vacationers from the deadly tsunami – thanks to a school geography lesson.
Tilly warned the doubting adults at a resort that a massive tidal wave was about to strike – just minutes before the deadly tide rushed in and turned the resort into rubble. Tilly’s family, from Surrey, England, was enjoying a day at Maikhao Beach last Sunday when the sea rushed out and began to bubble.
The adults were curious, but Tilly froze in horror.
“Mummy, we must get off the beach now!” she told her mother. “I think there’s going to be a tsunami.”
The adults didn’t understand until Tilly added the magic words: “A tidal wave.”
Her warning spread like wildfire. Within seconds, the beach was deserted — and it turned out to be one of the only places along the shores of Phuket where no one was killed or seriously injured.
Last night, Tilly was being hailed as a savior.