Ref. 75742-104A WOMAN who escaped the Asian tsunami is appealing for people to donate mobile phones to the survivors.

Alison Mitchell, a quantity surveyor from Liden, says mobile phones in Sri Lanka are expensive but calls cost very little.

"When we were leaving we were talking to people and lots of them were asking us to send phones back," she said.

"Phones are very, very expensive but they all seem to know how to unlock them and the calls there are really cheap.

"We have all got old mobile phones in a drawer at home and this is a good thing to do with them.

"It will really aid communication out there.

"Lots of them have lost family members and this will help them keep in touch with the family they still have."

Alison, 44, feels that after the way the people of Sri Lanka helped her this is the least she can do.

She and her partner Keith, 57, were staying on the Sri Lankan coast in Beruwela when the waves struck.

She said: "We got up really early on the day and were on the beach.

"We just got settled when the first wave came in. It was a full moon that day and everyone just thought it was a freak tide."

By the time the second wave came in the pair had moved to the roof terrace of the hotel and people had realised it was far more serious.

She said: "It was just very quick and very powerful.

"It ripped up everything and smashed through the hotel.

"All the bungalows at the hotel were just washed away. There was a compound of deer and they couldn't get out, they were all killed."

With the hotel guests in a state of panic it was left to the hotel staff to organise things.

Alison said: "It was amazing. We were really well looked after. They put us before their own families.

"They didn't just go they looked after us very, very well. They were absolutely brilliant."

Anyone who has old mobile phones can hand them in to Liden Community Centre or the Liden Arms, Liden.

Gareth Bethell