[Coolhand]

Interesting question, Nicke. Personally, I don't think that Phuket has much to worry from a cyclone. Due to its latituce the cyclone strebdth wont be as great as some degrees further north; however, two issues which bear consideration:- firstly rainfall, cyclones tend to dump huge amounts of water, and this can lead to landslides and flooding, and more importantly is the storm surge. Its not a tsunami, but cyclones can develop huge rises in the level of the sea. It is more gradual than a tsunami, and evacuation is easier because of the amount of time available. One of the advantages Phuket should have is the government and infrastructure is controlled away from the coast, so even if Patong Beach is devastated it should still be possible to develop a rescue plan. If you look at places like Queensland, the state is controlled right on the coastline in cities like Cairns - these are the ones most likely to be affected.