U.S. Relatives Agonize Over Tsunamis

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2, 2005 — -- They are victims of the Asian tsunamis, too -- the fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers of the injured, missing or deceased.

At least 15 Americans have been killed in the tsunamis, and thousands are still unaccounted for.

Bruce and Mike Anderson lost their 42-year-old sister, Kristi, a world traveler and adventurer who supported orphaned children in South Asia.

"I spent at least a half-hour next door at my sister's house crying like a baby," Bruce Anderson said.

The brothers got the call from Sri Lanka the day after the tsunami struck.

"I just knew from the ring of the phone that it wasn't going to be good news," Mike Anderson said.

"I couldn't think of anything worse; I really couldn't," added Bruce Anderson. "It was a terrible, terrible, terrible morning."

Survival Stories

Terrible, too, for the parents of 29-year-old Libby Wales, swept under by the tsunami off Phi-Phi island, Thailand.

"She started to swallow the water and wanted to die," said Allen Wales, her father. "She decided this was going to be the end and she might as well go peacefully."

Miraculously, Libby survived, though her leg was badly injured. Her mother flew to Thailand while her father arranged to fly Libby to a hospital in Bangkok.

"Somebody the other night said, 'It's the best $10,000 you'll ever spend,' " he said. "And I believe that."

No Word

Others also endured painful uncertainty.

For nearly a week, Herb Meyer heard nothing -- absolutely no word from Sumatra about the fate of his 46-year-old son, Peter.

"As each day goes by and you don't hear, you realize the chances are getting less and less," he said.

Then, out of nowhere, he received an e-mail from a friend of his son. Peter didn't know about the disaster on the other side of the island. He has now phoned home twice.

"Whoopee!" Meyer said of his reaction to the news. "Happy new year!"

There has been relief for some families, agony for others and excruciating uncertainty for so many more -- upwards of 3,000 other American sons and daughters, husbands and wives, still unaccounted for.

ABC News' Bill Redeker originally reported this story on "World News Tonight."