I emailed the Blue Canyon Golf Club, to see if they were OK, but, shamefully, mainly as I was thinking of another golf trip. They got back to me:

Dear Shaky,

Thank you for the note of concern. Everyone staying at Blue Canyon is safe and sound, only telephone lines down, so communications might be a bit messy for a while. The golf courses are still here, fortunately inland and surrounded by highlands, so we’re ok.

We’re just a bit short-handed, as we got to go help on the front with many guests appearing. We’ve become some sort of a call centre for many tourists on standby to the airport over the last 24 hours; also many other guests who are evacuated from other beachside resorts.

Thanks again for your concern. We very much appreciate it.
Talk to you later.
Best regards,
Lin

and again:

Dear Shaky,

Thank you for your concern. We much appreciate it.

The situation in Phuket is stabilizing rapidly with a lot of international help pouring in. While rudimentary infrastructure of the coastlines are wiped out, roads, highways, the airport and all other inland city areas are unaffected and life still goes on for the rest of the island, even with the extra aid and volunteers working around the clock in the affected areas.

It has been a tragic 4 days on the island, simultaneously, there has also been much joy for those who have escaped the tsunamis and are reunited their loved ones and friends.

We expect that by late January, the dust will have settled from the aftermath of this natural disaster. I enclose herein a message from our CEO.

Best regards,
Lin

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Blue Canyon Country Club
Phuket 83110, Thailand

From the CEO:

28th December 2004

Dear Members, Staff, Customers and Friends,

The sudden “Asian Tsunamis” that struck the Andaman Sea on 26th December has been devastating to many families and businesses, especially those dwelling along the coastlines of Thailand. We, at Blue Canyon, are deeply saddened by the losses suffered by the people living and working in Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi, especially those among our members and friends.

As you may have known by now, Blue Canyon has escaped this tragedy unscratched. More importantly, by the grace of Divinities, a preliminary survey indicates that none of our 1000 work force and staff suffered notable injury or irreparable financial losses throughout the ordeal.

In the meantime, we shall endeavor to accommodate as many families of tourist stranded on this island as we can, given our limited facilities. We apologize to our members and customers for any inconvenience and slowness of normal services. We shall also provide all assistance possible to each of our staff and work force affected by this unprecedented disaster.

We are carefully assessing and analyzing the medium and long term dilapidating effects of this crisis on the tourist industry of Phuket in general and our business in particular. However, we are confident that, with your support, Blue Canyon shall prevail.

Our immediate priority at this moment of crisis is to assist our members, staff and guests. As the extent of damages to this island becomes clearer, we shall, through our own channels, mobilize international relief groups to work with the local government in rehabilitating the desolate families around us and alleviating their sufferings.

We sincerely thank all of you for your concern over our well-being during the past 48 hours. Your countless phone calls, sms and e-mails are testimonies and just rewards for our hard work and commitment. A big “thank-you” also to the skeletal staff who serves tirelessly and selflessly during the first 24 hours of the crisis, some of them worked non-stop for 18hours.

A collection centre has been set up at Blue Canyon for your financial donations and material contributions for the victims of “Asian Tsunamis” in Thailand. We undertake to pass on your charity to those who are less fortunate than we are.

Mr. Sia Leng Yuen
Chairman & CEO

Blue Canyon Country Club

Videos are appearing now. See here and here if you can get on.

A Wikipedia page has been created and regularly updated. Look at the ‘Missing’ column on this table. It’s going to be over 100,000.