An Australian nun who helped shepherd more than 300 school children to higher ground when their village in Samoa was struck by an earthquake says she doesn't believe the freak event was a work of God.
Queensland-born nun Sister Doris Barbero was having breakfast at St Joseph's Primary School in the village of Leava'a when she felt the quake.
"We felt it very strongly. We heard it coming too," she told AAP from Samoa on Friday.
"There was a rumbling sound."
"All the buildings were shaking."
The Salesian sister returned to the school this year after a seven-year absence.
She said students and staff who began arriving shortly before the quake had some idea of what to do.
"We have drills for that sort of emergency," she said.
There was an aftershock a little while after the quake, followed by warning bells.
"The principal was advised that whoever was at school should all be taken to higher ground, and parents, if they were there too, should go up with them," Sr Doris added.
Along with two other nuns and 11 lay staff, she helped escort about 320 frightened children aged four to 15 years to a plantation area high above the school.
"They were saying it's scary," she said.
"There was a certain amount of fear, naturally.
"We just told them to stay together and do what we had asked them to do. They were very cooperative.
The group remained in the hills for two days before it was deemed safe to return to Leava'a, which unlike villages including Leone and Alipata, was not hit by the tsunami.
Sister Doris said life was in some ways returning to normal on Friday and students were back at school.
She did not blame divine intervention for the earthquake.
"I think it's a natural disaster," she said.
"I wouldn't see it as a work of God.
"We're not being punished.
"We can speculate a lot but deep down we don't really know why this sort of thing happens.
"We know natural disaster and sometimes man-made ones cause deaths and accidents.
"I think you just take life as it comes.
"We can't always regulate everything so we should try to be optimistic wherever we are."
by Belinda Cranston, AAP
October 2, 2009
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