A few Coloradans will have stories to tell for decades after experiencing the devastating tsunami while vacationing in Phuket, Thailand.

Andy Pfaff of Arvada, his wife Patsy and their two children decided to spend Christmas on the resort island and were actually about to go diving when the tsunami hit Sunday morning. …Pfaff’s family is just fine. The waves weren’t higher than 6 to 10 feet, he says — but it was the force it came in with that made it so devastating. “I mean, it had a lot of force. Stuff was washed away, cars were floating. And it came in pretty fast.”

John and Romina Kreuger of Winter Park were inside their bungalow when the tsunami hit. Romina was swept away and swam for an hour to get back, sustaining a broken nose and other injuries. If you’d like to assist the recovery effort, here are the details:

The Tamil Association of Colorado is collecting relief funds. Make checks out to: Tamil Association of Colorado. In the memo, write “Tsunami Relief Fund.” Send to: PO Box 270243, Littleton, Co 80127. The organization’s e-mail address is: tamilcolorado@yahoo.comTo donate to the International Red Cross, call 800 HELP NOW, or log onto Denver.Redcross.org and designate funds for “International Response Fund.”

On a related note, the Earthquake Center in Golden was the first to recognize the scope of the tsunami.