A BUSINESSMAN has spoken to the Gazette about experiencing the devastation of the South East Asia Earthquake first hand.

Declan Harrington, who lives in Hallen and owns D&D Shoe Repairs and Key-Cutting in Chipping Sodbury, was on holiday in the coastal area of Galle in Sri Lanka when the tidal waves hit.

He was staying at the Neptune Hotel with his girlfriend, Becky Skeuse, as part of a two-week Christmas break.

He said: "When the second wave hit, which was about 30ft high, the whole of the first and second floors were devastated. There was concrete and glass flying about everywhere. It was absolute havoc."

Mr Harrington was instrumental in saving a fellow holidaymaker's life.

He said: "We tied bed sheets together and jumped off the second floor balcony to grab the guy out of a palm tree. He would have been lost out to sea otherwise."

After the water receded Mr Harrington and fellow survivors had to endure a seven-hour bus to journey to Colombo where they were given shelter and a mattress and a pillow to sleep on.

The couple were able to return home on an emergency flight to Gatwick four days later but Mr Harrington says he wishes he could have helped more and still wears an identity band from the hotel as a lucky charm.

He said: "If I had enough money I would have stayed out there. The country is beautiful and the people are the nicest you can ever meet but it is too much to cope with because of all the bodies and the smell. I do not want to go into too much detail but it was just horrible."

He is, however, in regular contact with one of the waiters at the hotel named Silva, who keeps him updated with their progress through emails and text messages.

One message simply says "We have lost a lot", while another explains hotel management wants to start rebuilding as soon as possible. It says "Now we clean the hotel. Management want to start soon but travel agent say we have to wait two to three months. Lots of germs everywhere."

Now, Mr Harrington is keen to repay the kindness that Silva and his colleagues gave him during the aftermath of the tsunami to help them rebuild their lives.

He said: "While we have come back to a warm and safe house and we have plenty, the guys at the hotel have lost everything. They have no water, no homes and no sewerage. They have no income because their businesses have gone but they couldn't do enough for us when we were there. When we were in the camp they came up to cook us food and were concerned that the laundry was done. It was unbelievable."

It was because of this generosity that Mr Harrington decided to collect money himself and has already sent around £650 to Silva. He is also planning to organise a fundraising concert in the near future and has collection bucket in his shop.

He would also like the public to keep donating money. He said: "I am really impressed with the way people have been giving already. Just £5,000 will build 15 houses in Sri Lanka and staff at the hotel lived off £16 a month so everything helps. It is important that we keep supporting the fundraising efforts."