I'm pleased to tell you guys that I just got word from one of my friends. He says that all his family and friends lived. Most of them were not in the area of the tsunami, but a few were in Phuket. They escaped with their lives, but I imagine things will be very hard, as I suspect they lost people they knew, and may have had a lot of property damage as well.
I'm still waiting for conclusive word from my other friend, and I'll let you know as soon as I hear.