Tsunami Evacuation Drill on Wednesday 25 July

[TV Channel 11]

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Patong Beach will be the main beach and center for media coverage for the tsunami evacuation drill that will occur on the 25th of July.

Just over two and a half years after the Tsunami catastrophe in the Indian Ocean, Thailand as one of the countries affected by the tidal waves, has reported its precautionary systems and measures ready with local communities involved. The country’s National Disaster Warning Centre or NDWC now has 79 warning towers installed in prone locations across all 6 Andaman Coastal provinces of Phuket, Phang-Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun which were hit by the natural disaster. While the early warning system has been put in place, with satellite links and activations by the central control in NonthaBuri near Bangkok, local residents have been educated on warnings and they were encouraged to take part in the community based evacuation plans. Trainings have been carried out by many organizations concerned, domestic and international. The first full scale tsunami Evacuation drill was carried out in late April 2005 after the first warning tower was then installed on the famous beach of Patong, followed by annual drills in different locations including the badly devastated locations of Ban Namkem and Khao Lak of Phang-Nga. This year the NDWC, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, in cooperation with 6 Andaman Coastal Provinces, will carry out a full scale Tsunami Evacuation Drill with audio sirens and information dissemination from 79 warning towers at the same time in all 6 provinces. The drill will take place on Wednesday 25 July between 9.30 & 10.30am. The chairman of the NDWC, Dr. Smith Dhamasaroj, said the centre has sought out cooperation from all responsible agencies to inform the public and tourists of the full scale exercise. He also stressed that the main purposes of the drill are to check out all personnel and equipment for preparedness.

In Phuket, the local authority plans to run the drill to test out 17 warning towers in different locations across the island. All responsible agencies are working towards the drill to make it the most beneficial for residents and tourists alike. The drill involves actual teams and equipment. It will simulate a supposed massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean, for which the NDWC issues a warning about and then a possible Tsunami to reach the 6 Andaman coastal provinces. That’s when the evacuation exercise begins. People, residents or tourists on the shoreline must be evacuated following the designated and clearly posted signs of evacuation routes and finally to the safe sites. The area in Patong is divided into seven zones, but the actual drill will focus on two zones. They are the entertainment roads of Soi Bang La to Soi Keb Sap and Soi Keb Sap to Pak Bang Canal at Coral Beach bridge. Five routes are designated as evacuation routes. They are Soi Bang La, subsoi to Patong Tower, Soi Ruam Jai, Pracha Nukroh Road and Coral Beach bridge while the evacuation shelters are designated at Soi Saen Sabai circle, the OTOP shopping centre, Coconut Village Junction of RatuThit Road and Pracha Nukroh Road, and finally the Coral Beach Bridge.

In Phang-Nga 18 communities, where the warning towers are stationed, will take part in the drill. They are mostly in Khao Lak, Ban Namkem , Bang Muang, Koh Kor Khao and Koh Phra Thong.

In Krabi even though 32 towers have been installed, only 12 towers will be tested out during the exercise as they are linked by satellite with the NDWC.

The centre’s chairman remarked that the drill will be the largest in the Indian ocean rim involving around 30,000 people: Patong’s drill will be the centre of media coverage and televised live by Thai TV Channel 11 on July 25th during 09.15 - 10.30 am. This exercise is considered vital for residents on the shoreline in southern Thailand as they have experienced the worst and it’s always better to be prepared as nature always strikes when we are least expecting it.

The tsunami evacuation drill will be on the 25th of July and all locals and tourist in the area are expected to cooperate.

from Special Report for Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) 8.30am + FM90.5 Radio Thailand 6pm, both broadcast from Phuket City to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & maybe later on Phuket Cable TV Channel 1, Monday 23 July 2007 & Thaisnews.com {Our news text and mini-videos can be freely copied, but give credit to Andaman News TV11 Phuket or contact AndamanNews@yahoo.com}

[TV Channel 11]

Special - Tsunami Evacuation Drill in Patong, Phuket held on Wednesday 25 July

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Yesterday residents, businesses and even tourists in the Patong beach area participated in the Tsunami evacuation drill that took place from 9:30 am to 10:30 am. Organized by Thailand National Warning Centre, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, local authorities and local governments, the evacuation drill was enacted simultaneously in all 6 of the Andaman coastal provinces namely Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang, Ranong and Satun, where all of the 79 warning towers are installed, and involved around 30,000 people. In Patong beach of Phuket the evacuation drill was televised live by TV Channel 11 throughout the kingdom. At around 9:30 Mr. Nirund Kalayanamit, the Phuket Governor, presided over the event in Patong, opening the ceremony, while joining in the operation as well. The scenario of yesterday’s drill supposed that at 9:30am there was a massive earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale, in the Indian Ocean near the Nicobar Islands. Then at exactly 9:47 the National Disaster Warning Centre in Bangkok activated the sirens in the warning towers in Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, and Satun with messages in different languages from NDWC about a possible Tsunami on the 6 Andaman coastal provinces. Yesterday’s drill focused on the southern part of the Beach Road into the popular Soi Bangla and down into Soi Sansabai, where the evacuation site is designed to take about 500 people. After the siren was activated local residents, business and hotel operators, students, small service businesses like motorcycle taxi drivers, beach masseurs, and beach umbrellas operators, as well as tourists, residents and tourists joined in the evacuation, running, jogging or walking following the guidelines of community leaders and signs posted permanently.

The evacuation of most people on the shore lines to designated safe sites was carried out successfully, with any necessary rescue procedures taking place during and after the drill. Local authorities from hospitals, the police and from the Royal Thai Navy, with their rescue helicopters and boats, were all part of the many scenarios played and tested out in the drill. And priority was given to those unable to help themselves like handicapped or disabled persons, babies and kids, as well as injured persons, not to mention those stuck in trees. The objectives for the drill were to generate preparedness to enhance the confidence among concerned officials and the general public, and to familiarize them with systematic evacuation procedures, but more importantly it was to identify areas for future improvement in the tsunami early warning system and evacuation plans. By 10:28 a second alarm was sounded to signify that all situations were under control and back to normal. Tourists in the area also looked on the drill in admiration for the preparedness shown on behalf of the local authorities involved, as tourists commented:

After the exercise the Phuket Governor Nirun Kalayanamit said he was satisfied with the overall drill. He also sees the exercise as good timing as the next tourist high season is approaching in November.

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Interview - Director General of the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Center and a representative from Maldives, at Tsunami Drill in Patong

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The drill was also witnessed and observed by representatives from many countries on the Indian Ocean, including foreign guests from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, as well as the USAID officers. Yesterday we got a chance to speak with the Director General of the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Center (Mr N.D.Hettiarachchi) and a representative from Maldives (Major Vahil), being countries that were also hit by the 2004 tsunami:
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MiniVDO: Residents on Phang-Nga’s shoreline welcomed and actively took part in the Tsunami evacuation.

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In Phang Nga province, people of Ban Nam Kem village participated in the tsunami evacuation drill simultaneously along with other areas, while the Governor of Phang Nga was pleased with the outcome of the evacuation drill, but says there is still room for improvement concerning the sound of the sirens not reaching all areas. The Tsunami evacuation drill in the Phang Nga province was practiced in a total of 18 locations in 3 districts of Tha Kua Pa district at Baan Nam Kem, Bang Neang, Bang Suk, Baan Thap Thawan, Nang Thong Beach, Baan Pakweep, and Bang Kaya, the Thai Muang District around Khao Lak area, Lam Kaen and Phra Thong Island in Kura Buri district. People in Bang Muang were also actively taking part in the exercise and welcomed the activities that the government organized. The governor of Phang Nga, Mr. Winai Buapradit said that the villagers and people cooperated well with the evacuation drill, especially in the Baan Nam Kem area where every house came out as well as foreign laborers. The governor however commented that the audio sound from some towers was low so he would present the problem to responsible agencies. Governor Winai also saw the drill as assuring tourists confidence in the region’s safety measures like the early warning system.
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MiniVDO: Krabi tourism operators were pleased with Tsunami Evacuation Drill.

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In Krabi province the tourists and people in tourism related businesses were pleased with the outcome of the tsunami evacuation drill and how the drill was carried out as they were looking into the efficient function of all the 12 towers. The Krabi Governor Mr. Siwa Sirisaowaluck visited and witnessed different locations where the warning towers were located. 8 towers are in Munag Krabi district comprising 6 in Ao Nang including Phi Phi, Nopparatara and 2 in Nuaklong and 2 in Lanta district. The Governor of Krabi says that this tsunami evacuation drill in Krabi was a success as all the towers proved to have worked well and that it should install tourists’ confidence in the region. On the local tourism side, Mr. Ithirit Kinglek, a local hotelier said that the overall picture of the drill today was satisfying as all authorities involved, that participated in the drill, were well prepared even if a low number of local residents and tourists participated in the actual drill, but what everyone in the area expected to see or hear was the efficiency of the warning system and sirens.