PORTSMOUTH — Two days after running for their lives from one of the most destructive tsunamis to ever strike Thailand, the McClure family, of Portsmouth, has decided to continue its around-the-world trip.

“They had a family vote and decided to continue,” said Robin Najar, of Portsmouth, a family friend who called Seacoast Newspapers at the request of Bill McClure’s mother, Barbara, who spoke with her son by telephone on Tuesday morning. Among those with whom McClure has communicated this week, as well, is his brother, Andy McClure of Brentwood.

Asked whether the family vote was unanimous, Najar said Barbara McClure believed it was.

“Those girls are not wallflowers,” Najar said, referring to Morgan, 12, and Lily, 9. “Those two are tough, and they’re used to being adventurous.”

Bill and Susan McClure, who have been traveling around the world since July with their two daughters, had reached Kho Lanta, Thailand, on Saturday.

On Sunday, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia. It was the most powerful earthquake recorded in the world in four decades. More than 87,000 people in 11 countries were reported dead by Thursday, with the death toll expected to climb higher, according to The Associated Press.

Bill McClure had been away from his wife and daughters on a scuba diving trip when the tsunami struck.

“He was on a boat on the other side of the island — the eastern side,” said Najar. “The captain said there was something really weird with the tides and wouldn’t let them out of the boat. Then they went to another place and he said there was something weird here, too. Then they started getting radio reports, so they never got out of the boat.”

Susan, Morgan and Lily were reportedly in their hut on the beach when the tsunami struck.

“Someone yelled, ‘Run for your lives,’ so they did,” said Najar. “They’re all fine; they’re all together. They moved up to a hotel on a higher part of the island. Bill said that the scene is kind of like the day after a hurricane.”

The McClures plan to leave for Bangkok, the Thai capital, on Wednesday morning, said Najar. There, they’ll continue to recoup and plan what to do next, she said.

Since leaving the Seacoast in July, the McClures have been filing regular dispatches, which have been published on the Herald Sunday travel page and on www.seacoastonline.com.

The McClures lost many of their belongings, said Najar, including the family computer and digital camera used to stay in touch with friends and update the Herald with their dispatches. Bill told his mother he hopes the travel insurance purchased for the trip will allow them to replace their belongings in Bangkok, said Najar.

The McClures are at the halfway mark of their around-the-world trek. They have already traveled throughout the United States, New Zealand and Australia. From Thailand, the plan is to travel to India, Kenya, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Germany, England, Ireland and Scotland, before returning to the Seacoast in July 2005.

Look for continued updates about the McClures on www.seacoastonline.com, in the daily Portsmouth Herald and in the Herald Sunday Accent section. You can also read the McClures’ latest dispatch about their travels in Australia, filed on Christmas Day, on this Sunday’s travel page in Accent.