Phuket

amoeba · #1 25-07-2005, 00:49

Earthquake 7.2 off the Nicobar Islands - Tsunami warning for Phuket!

kcu01cc · #2 25-07-2005, 00:52

im ment to b comming phuket on saturday wat do you think safe or unsafe??????

erik1 · #3 25-07-2005, 00:53

Safe!!!!!!!! They just have the new tsunami allert system operational and the systems are not callibrated yet

dawsey · #4 25-07-2005, 01:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoeba

Earthquake 7.2 off the Nicobar Islands - Tsunami warning for Phuket!

amoeba

This is just scaremongering.
There are earthquakes there almost every day and would have to be considerably greater to cause a tsunami warning in Phuket.

The one on 26/12 was somewhere in the 8.6 region and a 7.2 is nowhere near as big.

It is no help to publish these warnings and thereby scaring away potential visitors to LOS.

Phuket now has in place, an adequate warning system,and I would wait until a current forum member posts with latest news before putting out a scare like you have just done.

kcu01cc · #5 25-07-2005, 01:13

hope so ive been waiting ages to return back to phuket dont want anything to ruin my visit i love the place

LivinLOS · #6 25-07-2005, 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsey

amoeba

This is just scaremongering.
There are earthquakes there almost every day and would have to be considerably greater to cause a tsunami warning in Phuket.

The one on 26/12 was somewhere in the 8.6 region and a 7.2 is nowhere near as big.

It is no help to publish these warnings and thereby scaring away potential visitors to LOS.

Phuket now has in place, an adequate warning system,and I would wait until a current forum member posts with latest news before putting out a scare like you have just done.

Sorry Dawsey but they are evac'ing town... On most Thai TV channels and warnings solid by all means they can..

More than 'scaremongering'..

To me it sounds like this will be another non event.. No waves elsewhere (nicobars).. and a more minor quake than previous..

peakay · #7 25-07-2005, 01:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsey

This is just scaremongering.
There are earthquakes there almost every day and would have to be considerably greater to cause a tsunami warning in Phuket.

I think he is just quoting fact. Probably nothing will happen but a tsunami warning HAS been issued and Patong has been evacuated as has other areas

kcu01cc · #8 25-07-2005, 01:18

do you think by saturday all will be well!!

dawsey · #9 25-07-2005, 01:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by peakay

I think he is just quoting fact. Probably nothing will happen but a tsunami warning HAS been issued and Patong has been evacuated as has other areas

Apologies to ameoba

LivinLOS · #10 25-07-2005, 01:25

We now have 2 active threads..

How about we just pick one or the other and lock one down (or stop posting here ??)

erik1 · #11 25-07-2005, 01:25

No Waves at epicenter so no tsunami!

Relax guys.

peakay · #12 25-07-2005, 01:31

Thailand has cancelled its Tsunami alert

dizbuster · #13 25-07-2005, 02:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsey

amoeba

This is just scaremongering.
There are earthquakes there almost every day and would have to be considerably greater to cause a tsunami warning in Phuket.

The one on 26/12 was somewhere in the 8.6 region and a 7.2 is nowhere near as big.

It is no help to publish these warnings and thereby scaring away potential visitors to LOS.

Phuket now has in place, an adequate warning system,and I would wait until a current forum member posts with latest news before putting out a scare like you have just done.

I think scaremongering is when someone just comes on to the forum and starts posting warning messages just for the hell of it. I do think that if substantiated, these warnings/newsflashes should be posted as everyone has a right to know what is going on.

I know we don't want it to happen and perhaps that is why some people are a little bit defensive and react negatively to this type of message, then again maybe I'm wrong. However, I do feel that we should not get complacent and let ourselves get caught out by this. Nobody really wants to travel to somewhere that is not safe and potentially life threatening. I know this might sound like I am being a little bit insensitive, but I am being realistic. I do worry about the people who actually live there including BM's, my GF and lots of Thai friends that I have made. I wish I could stop it happening, but if it gets to the stage where being there is dangerous, I would like to know beforehand and not once it happens. This is just human nature, self-preservation if you like.

Fingers crossed nothing like last December ever happens again.

Diz

Rizzamabob · #14 25-07-2005, 05:07

Hope everything is fine

driv · #15 25-07-2005, 06:04

Hi
I haven't been here for a long time - so I hope you won't shoot me down too quickly.

My Mother called to let me know of the alert, and I have to say that although it is bloody serious - somehow - I feel that the fact that it has *already* hit this century, somehow mitigates the chances of a second wave. Do you get my drift?

I am arriving on Saturday. I *will* arrive Saturday.

I (hope & ) believe there will be no Tsunami.
I sincerely hope (not for myself) that no one else will be affected.

Remember guys - A 'warning' doesn't mean it's going to happen!!!

Hope to see you all soon.
d.

Devman · #16 25-07-2005, 06:41

It is good thing that they have a warning system in the event that a tsunami should occur.
I would personly feel safe in Phuket knowing that a warning is given regardless if it is an impending or a potential tsunami, as you are given time to remove yourself from danger.

Devman

jimholio · #17 25-07-2005, 06:58

Being there during the Tsunami i would be scared shitless to get this warning. However id rather have the warning even if there is a just tiny chance that it will happend.

mayuree · #18 25-07-2005, 07:38

I heard this new from TV last night and hope everything is fine there.

Take care.
Mayuree.

IRISH JONNY · #19 25-07-2005, 12:27

Last Nite Was A Little Scary....if Any Person Was Going To Die .it Would Have Been From A Car Crash Or A Mb Crash.there Were People Driving Like Lunatices!!!!!!!!!..bar Girls Ran For Their Lifes..............my Tirak And Her Friends Were In My Hotel.......i Couldnt Believe My Eyes To See People Checking Out Of The Hotel..i Told Them ....theres No Prob.but They Wwere Adamant On Going To The Airport..............
Well Every Thing Seems Fine Now...im Off To The Beach.by Myself.her In Doors Wont Go Within 200 Meters Of The Beach...........
Ij

gregor200 · #20 25-07-2005, 12:36

The probability to be hit by a new wave is less than being hit by a truck crossing the beach road...

Coolhand · #21 25-07-2005, 12:46

I was in Soi Ericlast night, and although it was a little bit confusing to start with, it all worked out fine in the end.
To start with, one of the security guys heard something on his radio, and the whispers started, some bars started to close, others didn't, music carried on playing, most of the bars switched their tv channels to the news channel.
One of the bars was having a birthday party, and eventually the DJ shut the music down and said to evacuate. All the balloons were quickly burst, bills paid (I grabbed a carry out, priorities first) and in a very orderly manner the soi emptied.
Out in Bangla people were making their way to the top, and I think this is where Bangla being a pedestrian street, really worked, people could move easily and there were no motorclycles/tuktuks racing along.
At the top of Bangla the scene was a little different, a Farang was having some sort of seizure, but his friends bundled him into a tuktuk and to the hospital ( I hope). We managed to locate a tuktuk run by friend of teelak, and he took us to a bar opposite Safari disco, where a thai band was playing, had a great time, continued to get kee mau, they also tuned into thai tv news.
At about two thirty it seemed apparent that there was no tsunami, and we returned to Patong.
A couple of observations:- I didn't hear the sirens go off, so I assume some one made the decision to evacuate Bangla, but that person wasn't the4 person who controls the alarms!
The decision to evacuate was made in ample time, I was happily sat at bar on top of hill, when the tv said that tsunami was due in five minutes.
The evacuation along Bangla was very orderly, probably due to the lack of traffic. The top of Bangla was different, police seemend to be busy moving people away from beach, but little control of traffic.
Those nice new evacuation signs are getting a littkle faded now.

I was always a little bit cynical about all the measures being put into place after the tsunami, but after last night I am very reassured, and I didn't lose any drinking time.

LivinLOS · #22 25-07-2005, 13:19

I also heard no sirens... Was not near the beach side but can often hear from my place..

Did they really not use the warning system they just installed ???

Coolhand · #23 25-07-2005, 14:45

I don't think they did?
I was here in April, when they were setting the system up and testing it, and it is loud!
It seems to have several different sounds from a wailing siren to a sort of intermittent screach. I presume that the different sounds have different meanings, but I don't know what they mean, so wouldn't know how to react to the alarm. Whether they used it or not last night, IMHO the "evacuation" was pretty well sorted. Oh, and a special mention of thanks to the tuktuk driver who took me to a place that was safe, fun and had beer. He went back to Patong to make some money, then came back to pick me and the teelak up. All he wante was 200 baht, both ways and a couple of beers. Top guy.

LivinLOS · #24 25-07-2005, 17:53

Well they are claiming they did...

Gazette story saying the system was a sucess and sirens in Patong..

butterflyblonde · #25 25-07-2005, 19:38

I thought I caught something on Sky News at 2:15am this morning about a scare in Pattaya ? Does anyone know anything ?