Tsunami Warning Tests Suspended After Causing Panic

[george]

Tsunami warning tests suspended after causing panic

BANGKOK: -- Tests on Thailand's newly-installed tsunami warning system receiving towers in six southern Andaman Sea coast provinces, which began Saturday, were suspended Sunday after causing surprise and panic among both locals and foreign tourists, who had been insufficiently warned of the tests.

Smith Dharmmasaroj, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, said the tests in Krabi, Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong, Trang and Satun were unsuccessful due to the lack of an effective public relations campaign by local authorities in the six provinces. On the contrary, shortly after beginning at 9 am., the tests caused surprise and panic among the public as well as foreign tourists.

Tests in some areas in Phuket went smoothly as residents there had been properly informed by officials, so there was no panic reaction, Mr. Smith said, indicating that renewed tests will resume possibly after the Songkran holiday, Thailand's traditional New Year April 13-17, or when authorities in the six provinces are prepared and inform the Center.

Mr. Smith said his disaster centre wants to conduct tests on a regular basis while the United Nations and other tsunami-concerned agencies prefer the test to be held twice a year.

The six southern coastal provinces were hit by a deadly tsunami on December 26, 2004, killing some 5,000 people, half of them foreigners, and injuring 11,000 others.

A total of 100 towers have been installed in the six provinces while another 48 towers will be constructed in provinces along the Gulf of Thailand.

Towers will also be built in the Central, North and Northeast provinces to alert people to floods and air pollution.

Towers have been erected in the three northern provinces of Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai to detect air pollution and tests there will be conducted in later in April and May.

--TNA 2007-04-08

[cdnvic]

Tsunami warning tests suspended after causing panic

BANGKOK: -- Tests on Thailand's newly-installed tsunami warning system receiving towers in six southern Andaman Sea coast provinces, which began Saturday, were suspended Sunday after causing surprise and panic among both locals and foreign tourists

In other word, in authentic unrehearsed conditions, it worked.

[leisurely]

I don't think that you can say causing panic worked. I can see the validity of having these trial runs. Just like fire drills, the more you practice, the smoother the evacuation will be. I don't understand why people didn't know it was happeneing, I live in Bangkok and read about it in the paper.

[cdnvic]

Well, too many tests means they get used to tests. This shows they're still scared of the tsunamis. Better they panic a bit than get buried in debris someday with mai pen rai on their lips.

[marshbags]

B.Post Breaking news 16:07

Quote:-

Tsunami tests were a disaster

(BangkokPost.com, TNA) - Far from being the success first claimed by government officials, the tsunami drills in the South on Saturday caused panic and had to be cancelled before there were serious injuries or worse.

The test of 79 of the 100 towers along the 800-kilometre coastline went well, Smith Dharmmasaroj the director of the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) told reporters on Saturday.

In fact, Mr Smith admitted yesterday, the tests were not at all successful.

He now has blamed local authorities in the six provinces on the Andaman coastline - Krabi, Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong, Trang and Satun, where the Dec 26, 2004 tsunami killed 5,000 people and injured another 11,000.

Unquote.

Plerase go to the folowing url for the full news brief.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?

A sad reality of what can be expected but at least it was only a test.

Let us hope they get it right as soon as possible should nature repeat itself in the unforgiving way it usually does in these circumstances.

Let us also hope complaceny doesn,t set in as a result of to many trial and error " tests "

marshbags

Edited April 8, 2007 by marshbags

[Felt 35]

Daily tsunami warning tests deferred

PHUKET: Testing of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) tsunami warning system, scheduled for this morning, was canceled by the agency out of fear that it could create a public panic in areas where the public had not been adequately informed.

Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, who heads the Nonthaburi-based NDWC, told the Gazette this morning that a comprehensive system test will take place soon, probably next month, but only after coordination with Governor’s offices in each of the six provinces where warning towers are located.

In the meantime, officials may conduct localized testing that could result in some siren tower loudspeakers making a “knocking” sound as officials test them by tapping on a microphone.

The public should not be alarmed by such sounds as these are only part of routine testing, he said.

Dr Smith reiterated that all of the system’s 79 warning towers are operational.

They are “silently” tested on a daily basis, he added.

In Phuket, officers of the Phuket Provincial Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) this morning tested one of three tsunami towers in Rawai using a microphone test.

Phuket ODPM Chief Aroon Kerdsom told the Gazette that the test was a success.

Similar testing of tsunami warning towers in the province is expected to follow, starting on April 12, he said.

Phuket, Thailand

13:51 local time (GMT +7)

[cikeda]

I'm not familiar with the electronics and system configuration of the SEA outdoor warning system that was installed thus am unable to provide a definitive response to the news release. But what I do know is the system that is installed and configured for use in my state and at my local level in the USA.

TESTING. It is not good enough to "silent test" the system or standalone devices (Note: The article makes me believe that a SCADA system or something similar is used). Run a "full test" and actually sound the devices instead of going on the presumption that it should sound because it passed the silent tests. My recommendation is to do a monthly test on the same day each month at the same time with test notification to the public sent via the media a day before each test.

WHY TEST?

- Ascertain the local device and system is operational. The outdoor devices exposed to the elements will eventually corrode and electronics deteriorate with or without a maintainence program. Anything can go wrong at any time!!!

- Public Education. Properly planned and implemented, the public and visitors will be aware of what to do when the outdoor warning system is actually activated or when a test is conducted. Expand the public education program --- I saw one article after the Phuket tsunami that quoted a resident from my State saying that his life was saved because he knew what to do after feeling the quake and headed for higher grounds, a bullet from our local tsunami public education program. Public confidence is increased and it saves lives when a good program is in place.

[The above only addresses "TESTING" of the devices/system and not public participation during a test].

Edited April 8, 2007 by cikeda

[Scott]

I haven't followed this too closely, but do hotels and other places of business have evacuation plans that have been approved by the gov't? Also, beach side vendors should be required to get training about what to do in an evacuation. These people are the key to letting everyone know if it is a test or a real alert.

They should also be able to tell everyone what to do. Even if language is a problem, they can lead people from their beach-side chairs to the road, pavement, hotel or someplace where they will receive instructions.

Panic is a sign that the system really isn't working. Thailand has to remember that a system is more than just a serious of electronic bells and whistles; it's an integrated approach to getting people to safety and doing it safely.

[Rtwo]

I don't think that you can say causing panic worked. I can see the validity of having these trial runs. Just like fire drills, the more you practice, the smoother the evacuation will be. I don't understand why people didn't know it was happeneing, I live in Bangkok and read about it in the paper.

Hang on this is Thailand we're taking about, the written word means nothing even if they can be bothered to read it in the first place.

If they'd popped a visual anouncement about it in the middle of a soap opera on TV, however, everyone would have known about it.