Crammed with more than 30 people, the dangerously overloaded launch roared into the lagoon at almost precisely the same moment that the wall of water overwhelmed the orphanage, swamping its one-story buildings to the rafters. "It was a thunderous roar, and black sea," he said.

....The orphans' ordeal did not end when their boat pulled away from the shore. Not only was water cascading over the lagoon side of the peninsula, but it also was pouring in directly from the mouth of the estuary about 2 miles away. Sanders feared the converging currents would swamp the small craft.

....The scene at the orphanage was one of utter devastation. The grounds were covered by up to three feet of sand. Several buildings, including the staff quarters, were entirely gone, and the others were damaged beyond repair.

....The Sanderses, their daughter and about a dozen of the orphaned and now displaced children have found temporary refuge in a tiny church; the rest have been sent elsewhere.

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