Locals Refuse To Belive They Have Not To Worry About, Tsunamie

[yaimar]

HI All , the news that a possible tsunamie would NOT affect the rawai area [or the Nicobar Islands,]

did not sit well with many residents of Rawai phuket. theyhave headed for the high ground.

we have many staying at halfway house [thaitanics ]

including the triplets, but no one will belive it.s safe and no warning from the towers has sounded. Grant at channel 11 said its ok

so i told the people but/ the terror of 2004 still lingers and people panic

Ive not been out to see the situation but i dont feel its a mass thing

[LivinLOS]

Same where I am.. You cant blame them for being afraid but theres no logic in them..

Even after the wave was clearly not happening AND the source was shown to be around Sumartra (thereby not having a line to Thailand) Thais I have in the house were "wave come sure.. Big monk say so"..

Also as there was an alert and evac (where I am) why no warning towers ??

Edited September 12, 2007 by LivinLOS

[smilia]

HI All , the news that a possible tsunamie would NOT affect the rawai area [or the Nicobar Islands,]

did not sit well with many residents of Rawai phuket. theyhave headed for the high ground.

we have many staying at halfway house [thaitanics ]

including the triplets, but no one will belive it.s safe and no warning from the towers has sounded. Grant at channel 11 said its ok

so i told the people but/ the terror of 2004 still lingers and people panic

Ive not been out to see the situation but i dont feel its a mass thing

Where is Thaitanics by the way? I keep looking around Nai Harn but cant find it. I did see many people heading for higher ground and the shops closed in Kata.

[Solosiam]

Down in Chalong Pier, its business as usual - all the bars and restaurants are open.

[LivinLOS]

So anyone hear a warning from any tower ??

Did the whole system fail ?? Police evacing beach Rd etc means they wanted it to work.

[mikethevigoman]

HI All , the news that a possible tsunamie would NOT affect the rawai area [or the Nicobar Islands,]

did not sit well with many residents of Rawai phuket. theyhave headed for the high ground.

we have many staying at halfway house [thaitanics ]

including the triplets, but no one will belive it.s safe and no warning from the towers has sounded. Grant at channel 11 said its ok

so i told the people but/ the terror of 2004 still lingers and people panic

Ive not been out to see the situation but i dont feel its a mass thing

Iam typing this from the top of mount everest, please tell me when it has gone, thankyou

[londonthai]

the source was shown to be around Sumartra (thereby not having a line to Thailand)

the 2004 tsunami was in sumatra as well, further north, closer to thailand.

the thing is - further tremors can happen within the next few days and be closer to thailand, so people should be alerted but should not evacuate untill told so

[LivinLOS]

7.5 after shock being reported.. Oz issuing further warnings..

Not trying to be a chicken little but just be aware of it.. Padang sounds wrecked (again).. My brother lives in Indo and Padang and Nias just keep getting the worst events..

[stevenl]

So anyone hear a warning from any tower ??

Did the whole system fail ?? Police evacing beach Rd etc means they wanted it to work.

No the system did not fail.

The tsunami alarms from the towers are triggered by higher waves in the sea. Since there were no higher waves, there was no tsunami risk, so no alarm.

[LivinLOS]

I thought they were not triggered by any automated system but by central command office.. That was how the system was described initially.

Hence if they are starting a evacuation (which they did near me.. Police door to door telling people to leave).. Then they should use the system ??

[sbk]

Perhaps its because a second quake has hit according to the AP

By ANTHONY DEUTSCH, Associated Press Writer 18 minutes ago

PADANG, Indonesia - The second powerful earthquake in as many days shook western Indonesia Thursday, collapsing buildings in a coastal city and triggering tsunami alerts around the region.

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The latest quake was also felt in Malaysia and in Singapore where tall buildings swayed. It triggered at least one strong aftershock.

On Wednesday, a strong earthquake shook Southeast Asia, collapsing buildings, killing at least five people and injuring dozens in Indonesia. That tremor triggered a small non-destructive tsunami off the coastal city of Padang on Sumatra, the Indonesian island ravaged by the 2004 tsunami disaster. A tsunami warning was issued for wide areas of the region and nations as far away as Africa.

Thursday's magnitude-7.8 quake rattled the same area of Sumatra and caused extensive damage in Padang.

"Many buildings collapsed after this morning's quake," Fauzi Bahar, the mayor, told El Shinta radio. "We're still trying to find out about victims.

Thousands of frightened people piled in trucks or sought shelter on high ground.

Rafael Abreu, a geologist with The U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado, said the quake on Thursday did not appear to be an aftershock to the 8.4-magnitude temblor the day before. But the centers of both were close together.

"We are not calling it an aftershock at this point. It's fairly large itself. It seems to be a different earthquake," Abreu said.

"The quake seems to be pretty shallow," he said. "These are the quakes that can produce tsunamis."

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning, lifted it and then reissued it. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning that unusual waves could hit Christmas Island early Thursday, but locals said there was no sign of a tsunami about an hour after the predicted time.

"The danger has passed," said Linda Cash, a manager at the Christmas Island Visitors Center. "There was no wave or damage or anything."

However, Cash said police were out early Thursday warning people to stay away from the beaches.

The USGS said the new quake was centered about 125 miles from Bengkulu, a city on Sumatra. It occurred at a shallow depth of about six miles and struck at 6:49 a.m.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii warned Thursday's quake had the potential to generate a destructive regional tsunami along coasts within 600 miles of the epicenter. It advised authorities to take immediate action to evacuate coastal areas.

[stevenl]

It is an automated system, but I presume they can also override it/give commands.

I said it did not fail because it was not triggered, I have no idea whether it would have worked if used, maybe they even tried to use it. The tests have not been a great success IMO, and were hardly audible, plus I don't think there have been tests all over the island.

[baabaabobo]

Patong breathes easy after tsunami scare

PATONG: Following the high state of tsunami alert last night, after a major quake off the coast of Sumatra – followed by several powerful aftershocks – it’s business as usual for the Phuket tourism industry, despite the excitement.

Indonesian government authorities issued a tsunami warning after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale jolted parts of Indonesia’s Java and Sumatra islands at 6:10 pm.

The United States Geological Survey center (USGS) reported that the quake occurred 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra, which is 695km (435 miles) south-southwest of Singapore. The epicenter was recorded at a depth of about 30km.

The USGS also reported a magnitude 7.1 quake in the Kepulauan Mentawari region of Indonesia at 10:35 this morning. That quake, at a depth of 10km, was recorded by the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Nonthaburi, which has yet to issue any alerts but remains in a state of high readiness.

After a national television broadcast broke the news to the Thai public about 7:30 pm last night, seaside bars and shops in Patong quickly closed as throngs of people headed calmly for higher ground. Traffic jams were reported along Phra Barami Rd, the road which traverses Patong Hill.

Closer to the beach, Kathu Traffic Police switched traffic flow along the road from two-way to one-way, heading away from the beach. Access to the beach road was temporarily restricted last night to facilitate the people trying to leave the area – despite the lack of any official warning advising them to do so.

On Sainamyen Rd in Patong, people walking to safety zones congregated outside 7-Elevens and Family Mart stores, which were doing a brisk trade in alcohol sales as cars and motorbikes slowly moved away from the beach.

Conversations focused on the devastation caused by the tsunami that struck the Andaman coastline on December 26, 2004. Of the people the Gazette spoke to, many of the regular visitors to Phuket were not overly worried.

Last night’s earthquake was initially reported as 8.2 in magnitude, compared with the 9.0 earthquake in 2004. Another large quake off Sumatra registering 8.7 on the Richter scale on the night of March 28, 2005 also failed to produce a tsunami.

Following news of the initial quake, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont ordered the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) to monitor the situation closely. From Phuket Provincial Hall, Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima urged all officials and residents to stay tuned and brace for a tsunami as a precaution, as did governors of other Andaman coast provinces.

NDWC Director Dr Smith Dharmasaroja said that he believed the earthquakes posed no danger to the six Andaman provinces, so there was no need to activate the warning-tower sirens or warning messages.

However, the fact that the warning towers had not sounded any sort of warning was cause for concern for some.

As the hours passed, people started returning to the main nightlife areas of the resort town. Many businesses remained closed for the night, however, and the beachfront road was still quiet at 10:30 pm.

Aroon Kerdsom, who heads the provincial branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), said his staff were last night ordered to report to the island’s 19 tsunami warning towers with emergency vehicles and equipment, though he stressed that the move was strictly precautionary.

The DDPM-Phuket did not evacuate people from small outlying islands as had happened in parts of Krabi and Phang Nga and his staff were told to inform the public not to panic, he said.

However, many people in low-lying coastal areas did just that, finding televised reports of the quake enough to warrant evacuation.

About 9 pm, some 80 people evacuated the Laem Tukkae area for the safety of Phuket Provincial Hall, while some coastal residents of Rawai moved up off the beach to higher ground. Both locales are home to Sea Gypsy communities.

Many residents of Kamala, which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, did not wait for a warning before fleeing in panic to the safety of the nearby Nakkerd Hills.

K. Aroon asked the public to put faith in the information released by the DDPM and not to panic or evacuate areas unless advised to do so.

Regional testing of the NDWC’s tsunami early warning system on July 25 had revealed problems at three of the island’s 19 warning towers: Ao Makham, Kata Noi and Nai Harn. NDWC staff had since effected repairs on all three towers, which in some cases was as simple as cutting down trees impeding sound waves from traveling unobstructed, he said.

Following this morning’s quake V/Gov Worapoj said tourists need not worry about a tsunami as the government has a fully functional warning system in place and is prepared to issue a timely evacuation warning should it be necessary.

Brought to you by:

The Phuket Gazette

[Mid]

PM: Tsunami warning system still active

Thursday 13 September 2007 05:03:05 PM (GMT+7:00)

BANGKOK Sep 13 (TNA) – Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on Thursday defended the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) in its Wednesday’s earthquake warning, saying the centre had strictly followed the monitoring procedure.

The NDWC was blamed for its delay in tsunami warning on Wednesday evening after a massive earthquake in Indonesia.

Gen. Surayud said the NDWC had followed the monitoring procedure but it turned out that people received information from many other sources including the Internet and international news.

Residents in provinces on Thailand’s southwestern coast were panic and fled to higher grounds. They blamed the country’s tsunami warning system for being inactive and too slow.

Gen. Surayud stated that the NDWC and the Information and Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) had closely monitored the quake situations and regularly checked for possible tsunami in the Andaman sea.

After getting confirmation that tsunami would not hit the southern coast, the NDWC did not put on a tsunami alert for fears that it would frighten people.

Gen. Surayud added that the NDWC, with approval from the ICT minister, has been authorised to promptly announce an evacuation or trigger the tsunami warning alert.

Urging people to monitor the NDWC’s disaster warning, the premier however said it was good that people immediately reacted to the quake situation.

A strong earthquake, followed by several aftershocks, shook Southesat Asia, collapsing buildings, killing at least five people and injuring dozens in Indonesia on Wednesday evening.

Nations as far as Africa put coastal areas on alert after the jolt but only a small, nondestructive tsunami hit Sumatra island. (TNA) E110

etna.mcot.net

Edited September 13, 2007 by Mid

[threelegcowboy]

A warning that works

Other parts of the world have warning systems that work with sirens and does a good job in populated areas. They are practiced every week at the same time like noon on Wednesday. I dont think the Thais are doing this. I would suggest they start with weekly practice.

Also Phuket has secluded beaches and sirens cant be heard everywhere.

A need for a warning system for those that are out of hearing range. A special rocket firework. It could be a special color and recognised day or night. It could also be set offshore for best results.

These are just some thoughts from an armchair quarterback.

[LivinLOS]

Considering the cost of the tsunami warning towers.. I still think an automated SMS function the broadcasts to every GSM within the cell region for regions effected is the simplest and cheapest.

Those that dont have a phone will be alerted by the vast majority that do.

Simple to implement, much lower costs and overhead.. But of course no construction contracts in that.

[jts-khorat]

Considering the cost of the tsunami warning towers.. I still think an automated SMS function the broadcasts to every GSM within the cell region for regions effected is the simplest and cheapest.

Those that dont have a phone will be alerted by the vast majority that do.

Simple to implement, much lower costs and overhead.. But of course no construction contracts in that.

And of absolutely no use if there is STILL no flood control in the phone network; the network was completely down in Patong for quite some time after the initial news hit the streets.

No good telling the Thais of course how long it takes for a wave to travel from Indo to here; so sitting on the mountain for half an eternity in complete panic will not help if the (potential) wave is still hours away...

[JetsetBkk]

No good telling the Thais of course how long it takes for a wave to travel from Indo to here; so sitting on the mountain for half an eternity in complete panic will not help if the (potential) wave is still hours away...

And not much good explaining to some farang how far away Southern Sumatra is, or how much land there is between S. Sumatra and Thailand.

[intoxicajun]

This to me is rather simple. The system is designed to detect abnormal wave action. When it does, it signals the alarm. It probably won't go off if Police start making people leave the beach. I can tell you this about Tsunami's:

In order for a Tsunami to exist, it needs a a lot of water. Tsunami physics is simple. When the water goes out far beyond the normal 'low tide' area, clear the beaches. If the water remains, no need to worry. An evacuation was IMO a mistake. Because now we have introduced doubt into the Early Warning System. It works as a systematic process. It doesn't think, or hope or reason. Parameters are met, i.e. wave length, height, frequency, and speed...an alarm sounds. If not, it doesn't react. Just like the Google Search engine. When you ask it to search for Recipes from Ancient Mayan Civilizations, it doesn't bring back instructions for over-hauling a '78 ford. Trust the system, or run with the rest of them. The system doesn't guess, or Pre-warn. The evac was misguided. As for the orders to watch closely, They should always watch closely.

Patong and Kata are full of tourists with little or no knowledge of just what that sound could/should mean. They wouldn't know what to do even if they heard it. It will be amazing if there ever is another Tsunami and there are zero casualties.

IMO, we should trust in the system. It works if we let it. But listening to faith, hope, or just running because we see everyone else running is foolish. That will get people killed.

Irony is getting killed being trampled by others while trying to save yourself from a deadly Tsunami, that has yet to manifest itself.

Also remember that in order for a Tsunami to effect The West Coast of Phuket, the quake has to happen in the Indian Ocean. Otherwise, there is no way it can hit with the force needed to be classified as a "Tsunami".

My opinion.

P.S. I still love gerd!

[khall64au]

I sagged when I heard the "tsunami warning". I hope 2004 will never be repeated. But, as a media worker, I still live it.

My heart goes out to those Thai people who have not the resources and education to follow recent quake activity and subsequent tsunami warnings.

We all know the old saying "the boy who cried wolf!"

How many times do the locals run screaming before the tragedy becomes a fable?

[fiddlehead]

I was listening to some friends talk last night (in other words, this is hearsay).

A few of them were on Rawai beach 2 nights ago during the so called "Tsunami Warning"

They said the police came by and told everyone to get out, that there was a tsunami coming.

They made the bars close and EVEN THE 7-11 closed (whether by police orders or what, i don't

know)

So, it's hard to say the Thais did the wrong thing or where ignorant of the facts when their beloved police force told them to get to higher ground.

[LivinLOS]

This to me is rather simple. The system is designed to detect abnormal wave action. When it does, it signals the alarm. It probably won't go off if Police start making people leave the beach. I can tell you this about Tsunami's:

In order for a Tsunami to exist, it needs a a lot of water. Tsunami physics is simple. When the water goes out far beyond the normal 'low tide' area, clear the beaches. If the water remains, no need to worry. An evacuation was IMO a mistake. Because now we have introduced doubt into the Early Warning System. It works as a systematic process. It doesn't think, or hope or reason. Parameters are met, i.e. wave length, height, frequency, and speed...an alarm sounds. If not, it doesn't react. Just like the Google Search engine. When you ask it to search for Recipes from Ancient Mayan Civilizations, it doesn't bring back instructions for over-hauling a '78 ford. Trust the system, or run with the rest of them. The system doesn't guess, or Pre-warn. The evac was misguided. As for the orders to watch closely, They should always watch closely.

What your describing makes perfect sense.. But let me ask you HOW do you think those measurements are to be made.

The tsunami warning system comprises of warning towers and land based alert systems and Thailand launched one detection bouy that is almost due east of us / the similans.. A wave coming from the N tip of Sumartra would hit Phuket at about the same time it was detected by the bouy. I understand (only from watching TV the other night) that there was a wave hight detection instrument also at Padang.

What your describing is exactly how things could proceed in the pacific detection system with a US installed network of efficient, working, bouys all giving multiple verifiable reports. Thats not available here. So again HOW should those measurements be made to automate the alarm ?? Its simply not possible, your suggesting to use a system that doesnt exist yet.

[LivinLOS]

I was listening to some friends talk last night (in other words, this is hearsay).

A few of them were on Rawai beach 2 nights ago during the so called "Tsunami Warning"

They said the police came by and told everyone to get out, that there was a tsunami coming.

They made the bars close and EVEN THE 7-11 closed (whether by police orders or what, i don't

know)

So, it's hard to say the Thais did the wrong thing or where ignorant of the facts when their beloved police force told them to get to higher ground.

Thats exactly my point really.. Either there is an official decision to evacuate or there isnt.. If there is then use the towers and alarms and evacuate the areas you wish to. If there isnt then dont. There has to be a system of command and secondly there has to be faith in that system.

[JetsetBkk]

Thats exactly my point really.. Either there is an official decision to evacuate or there isnt.. If there is then use the towers and alarms and evacuate the areas you wish to. If there isnt then dont. There has to be a system of command and secondly there has to be faith in that system.

Exactly right. The police must be told - now - to shut the **** up when they "hear" of a tsunami warning from CNN, BBC, FOX or whoever and only take their instructions from the Thai National Disaster Warning Centre. It is their job to inform the police and the country of a possible tsunami, and nobody else's. The "system of command" - if it exists - broke down this time and the NDWC should sort it out.

[LivinLOS]

The stardard government line is tho.. That people were panic'ing due to TV reports and the police assisted in an order leaving of the area.. The fact is tho on the ground the police were doing a lot more than that, they were actively going round telling people to leave.

[JetsetBkk]

I can tell you this about Tsunami's:

In order for a Tsunami to exist, it needs a a lot of water. Tsunami physics is simple. When the water goes out far beyond the normal 'low tide' area, clear the beaches. If the water remains, no need to worry.

You can tell us, but you would be wrong.

It's not that simple and it does not require the water to go out for a tsunami to occur.

In the 2004 tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean the sea receding was not reported on the African coast or any other western coasts it hit, when the tsunami approached from the east.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami