By Dan Parker
Civil Defence has honoured the quick thinking of a young Wellington girl credited with saving many lives during the Samoan tsunami.
Ten-year-old Abby Wutzler learned how to recognise signs of a tsunami at school and quickly raised the alarm just before tragedy struck.
She was presented with a certificate from Civil Defence for raising the alarm, by running down the beach to give her family and many others staying at Sinalei Reef warning and time to run before the tsunami struck.
“All these trees were falling down behind me, there was no one behind me, my Mum and I were the last to escape and the rest were in the water,” she says.
Her father, David, was one of those in the water. He did not immediately realise the urgency of his daughter’s warning, which came after she noticed the water along the beach receding, following the earthquake.
“I just see it as a miracle that we all survived, and when we got out if it none of us are to criticise one another for anything we did during that period of the tsunami, because whatever we all did we got out and we are all here today and we are all so so lucky,” says Abby’s mother, Vicky.
Abby’s knowledge of tsunamis came from What’s the Plan Stan, Civil Defence’s disaster resource which is taught across the country.
“I was so proud that something I had said had sunk in and was used when it was needed most… most incredible feeling cause as a teacher you don’t get that feeling that often,” says Kay Mudge, Abby’s teacher.
It was also a proud day for all of Room 5, who have been invited on a tour of Civil Defence headquarters.
But Abby is quick to shrug off the praise.
“Everyone’s a hero at the end of the day aye, everyone who survived is a hero,” she says.
Civil Defence is planning to add the Wutzlers’ story to What’s the Plan Stan when the resource is updated.
3 News