ID :
141851
Mon, 09/13/2010 - 18:55
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/141851
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Thailand conducts tsunami drill in Andaman coastal provinces
PHUKET, Sept 13 – Thailand on Monday held tsunami evacuation practice drills across six Andaman coastal provinces in the South, including the tourist resort island of Phuket, aiming to reassure local residents and tourists alike regarding the efficiency of the warning system.
Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior Wiboon Sanguanpong, presided over the drill at Phuket's Patong Beach, the main venue for the exercise.
The tsunami evacuation drill and test of the warning system simultaneously were conducted in the other five Andaman coastal provinces of Phangnga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun.
In Phuket, the drill began when sirens from 19 warning towers blared and the authorities simulated a strong earthquake hit in somewhere in the Indian Ocean, where it was at high risk of generating tsunami waves in coastal Andaman areas.
The disaster warning proceeded both in Thai and in English, instructing local residents, as well as Thai and international holidaymakers to evacuate from shoreline areas to safer places on higher ground prepared by Patong municipality.
Local medical teams and rescue units rushed to locate and help shock victims both on land and offshore.
After the drill was completed, Mr Wiboon said the exercise is satisfactory and urged local residents in the high-risk zones to keep themselves well-prepared as natural disasters can strike anytime.
However, the warning sounds blaring from the sirens in some areas were unclear and could not cover the designated area of a 1.5-kilometre radius efficiently, said Panu Yamsri of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
In addition, no sound at all came from warning towers in some areas in the provincial, while others blared.
Meanwhile, some 200 residents and tourists on Krabi’s Phi Phi Island participated in the mock evacuation, Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanond said.
The officials also found problems with a low volume of sound from 32 warning towers and continued siren warnings was confusing to people.
Following the technical glitch and repeated warning sound, Viriya Mongkolveerapan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, explained the officials were informed that sound from some towers did not blare so they resent the signal.
The drill has been conducted periodically since Phuket and the five nearby seaside provinces were hit by the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which left 5,400 people dead in Thailand -- half of them foreign holidaymakers. (MCOT online news)
Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior Wiboon Sanguanpong, presided over the drill at Phuket's Patong Beach, the main venue for the exercise.
The tsunami evacuation drill and test of the warning system simultaneously were conducted in the other five Andaman coastal provinces of Phangnga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun.
In Phuket, the drill began when sirens from 19 warning towers blared and the authorities simulated a strong earthquake hit in somewhere in the Indian Ocean, where it was at high risk of generating tsunami waves in coastal Andaman areas.
The disaster warning proceeded both in Thai and in English, instructing local residents, as well as Thai and international holidaymakers to evacuate from shoreline areas to safer places on higher ground prepared by Patong municipality.
Local medical teams and rescue units rushed to locate and help shock victims both on land and offshore.
After the drill was completed, Mr Wiboon said the exercise is satisfactory and urged local residents in the high-risk zones to keep themselves well-prepared as natural disasters can strike anytime.
However, the warning sounds blaring from the sirens in some areas were unclear and could not cover the designated area of a 1.5-kilometre radius efficiently, said Panu Yamsri of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
In addition, no sound at all came from warning towers in some areas in the provincial, while others blared.
Meanwhile, some 200 residents and tourists on Krabi’s Phi Phi Island participated in the mock evacuation, Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanond said.
The officials also found problems with a low volume of sound from 32 warning towers and continued siren warnings was confusing to people.
Following the technical glitch and repeated warning sound, Viriya Mongkolveerapan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, explained the officials were informed that sound from some towers did not blare so they resent the signal.
The drill has been conducted periodically since Phuket and the five nearby seaside provinces were hit by the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which left 5,400 people dead in Thailand -- half of them foreign holidaymakers. (MCOT online news)
