Early Warning System ‘by End Of January’

[george]

Early warning system ‘by end of January’

PHUKET: -- A disaster warning center aimed at reducing the death and injury rate in any future tsunami may be established as early as the end of this month, the Gazette has learned.

Smith Dharmasaroja, newly assigned to the office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for examining what can be learned from the events of December 26, told a press conference yesterday at Phuket City Hall that he was unable to give details of the centre before he had spoken with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

But a source told the Gazette that the centre might be established by the end of January.

K. Smith did, however, reveal the results of five days of research and cooperation between Thai and Japanese experts.

The priority, he said, was to set up an effective way of monitoring wave activity, coupled with an efficent system – possibly through television and mobile phones – for warning people that a tsunami was on its way.

“We already have a warning system of sorts, but it is not efficient. That’s why we have to set up a better, more accurate, more efficient one, and a network for processing and using the information,” he said.

“Funding should not be an issue, because [the amount] is irrelevant compared with what we have lost,” said K. Smith, although he added that the government may seek support from other nations.

Hideo Matsutome, an associate professor at Japan’s Akita University said that an early warning system would be only one aspect of mitigating tsunami-related damage. Strategic planting of vegetation might help, as might building more substantial, concrete houses.

K. Smith added that a US disaster research team from Hawaii is expected to arrive in Thailand soon, to help with the investigation into the effects of the tsunami.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-01-04

[george]

Thailand ready to be center for regional early warning system, says PM

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is ready to propose itself as a center for the regional early warning system at the forthcoming international emergency summit on tsunamis, to be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta later this week.

The stance was shown by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra prior to a discussion with the United States’ State Secretary Colin L. Powell, who made a visit to Thailand as part of his trips to examine damages caused by last week’s devastating tsunami attacks in the region.

The premier said the US government and people expressed sadness and sympathy with tidal wave tragedy in Thailand through Mr. Powell and were ready to help if the Thai government wanted.

Previously, the US team of experts in autopsy and rescue officials as well as C-130 planes had been sent to help trace victims and recover bodies trapped in debris upon the legacy of tsunami.

Washington wanted Thailand to serve as a coordinating center to provide assistances from the international community to the disaster-affected countries in the region.

Mr. Thaksin said he would exchange views with Gen. Powell and discuss with him approaches on relief operations for the afflicted countries by the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and India.

On the international emergency summit on tsunami, which is set to take place on Thursday, he said Foreign Minister Surakiat Sathirathai would attend the meeting on his behalf.

Asked what the government would propose at the summit, he said, the early warning and surveillance system would be raised for discussion.

Thailand would not seek any special assistance in addition to technical cooperation support and modern equipment for rescue operation and rehabilitation.

Asked whether the government would propose the establishment of the regional early warning system in Thailand, he said, it depended on the discretion of each participant.

The US, which had a lot of experience in the system, should provide a good advice on the matter.

“We are ready to fully cooperate with the international community. We are willing to serve as the center unless other countries are ready.

“We don’t want to see each country work separately on the system it can cause a duplication and waste. All countries should pool their cooperation in installing the efficient early warning system,” he said.

--TNA 2005-01-03

[george]

US and Thailand agree on early tsunami warning system

BANGKOK: -- The United States and Thailand have agreed to cooperate in developing an early warning system to avert future tsunami disasters like the one that devastated parts of Asia last week, the chief diplomats from both countries said Tuesday.

Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said the system and technological aid for environmental preservation topped the agenda of his talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is heading a US delegation touring ravaged areas.

"We would like to have expertise and technical assistance from the United States to install an early warning system in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea," Surakiart said.

The Thai foreign minister said nobody knew yet how much a regional system would cost but that "it may be funded by the United Nations".

"Thailand is ready to be the centre for the regional warning center and if there is no agreement (at an emergency summit in Jakarta Thursday) we are ready to set up our own," he said.

Powell, flanked by President George W Bush's brother Jeb who governs the hurricane-probe state of Florida, said they could build on existing communications systems set up for typhoons.

The challenge was "how do you use and augment existing broadcast systems...so the information can get out in an actionable manner", Powell said.

Powell and Bush met Surakiart and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the start of a tour of three of the nations ravaged by the tsunamis that left more than 145,000 people dead.

Amid an early barrage of media criticism of the Bush administration for its perceived slow response to the crisis, Powell heard some welcome praise from the Thai foreign minister for Washington's "prompt and very effective assistance".

Powell told his hosts: "We are in solidarity with you as you deal with this crisis."

He added: "The aftermath of the tsunami is a tragedy for the entire world. The United States will not turn away from those in desperate need."

The delegation from Washington, which has pledged some 350 million dollars in relief, again stressed the need for long-term recovery efforts.

But Powell was cool to the notion of a region-wide programme on the lines of the Marshall Plan mounted in Europe after World War II.

"We have to see it as a regional problem but then the solution will be country by country," Powell told a press conference.

He then toured a relief centre at Bangkok airport, inspecting hangars piled with boxes of relief goods while metal and wooden coffins stood in rows outside.

The administrator of the US Agency for International Development, Andrew Natsios, shook his head and smiled grimly as he strolled past the boxes.

"People are very generous but there are distribution problems," he said, warning difficulties would centre on "what are in the boxes, what languages they are labelled in".

Asked about whether the aid situation dismayed him he said: "No. Actually this is better organised than what I have seen (elsewhere)."

Powell earlier met Lieutenant General Robert Blackman, commander of the US military relief effort which includes two aircraft carrier groups, 20 patrol and supply ships, helicopters and some 12,000 military personnel.

He was to tour Thailand's Phuket island before flying on later Tuesday to Jakarta to confer with officials and visit the devastated province of Aceh, where some 94,000 people are estimated to have died.

He will also attend the emergency summit in Jakarta on Thursday and then head for Sri Lanka.

Powell had said Monday that Washington had no immediate plans to add to the aid already pledged, but was ready to boost the figure if necessary.

-- AFP 2005-01-04

[aaaaaa]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/0...reut/index.html

Thailand fires chief meteorologist

Inquiry launched into why no tsunami warning was issued

Tuesday, January 4, 2005 Posted: 5:15 AM EST (1015 GMT)

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- Thailand has fired its chief meteorologist and opened an investigation into why his department failed to issue a tsunami warning which might have saved thousands of lives, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced.

"When a quake measured at 8.9-9.0 on the Richter scale struck in Sumatra, it was widely known tsunami can happen. But why weren't there any alerts? I really want to know the truth," Thaksin told reporters Tuesday.

A day after deadly waves devastated the country's Andaman Sea coast, Meteorological Department chief Suparerk Tansriratanawong had told reporters Thailand had not been hit by a tsunami in more than 300 years and had no reason to expect one.

But the English-language Nation newspaper quoted an unnamed member of the department last week as saying a tsunami alert was not issued for fear of hurting the important tourist industry at the peak season if it turned out to be false.

During the investigation, to be led by Information & Communications Technology Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, Suparerk will help set up a national early warning system for all natural disasters, a government spokesman said.

No Asian country issued a warning of the Dec. 26 tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia, which killed nearly 150,000 people as it crashed ashore around the Indian Ocean.

Thai expert says he tried to warn the government a deadly tsunami might be sweeping towards tourist-packed beaches, but couldn't find anyone to take his calls.

Samith Dhammasaroj said Monday he was sure a tsunami was coming as soon as he heard about the massive December 26 earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island that measured magnitude 9.0 -- the world's biggest in 40 years. (Full story)

"I tried to call the director-general of the meteorological office, but his phone was always busy," Samith said as he described his desperate attempts to generate an alert which might have saved thousands of lives.

"I tried to phone the office, but it was a Sunday and no-one was there," said the former chief of the meteorological department now charged with setting up an early warning disaster system for Thailand.

"I knew that one day we would have this type of tsunami. I warned that there would be a big disaster," he told reporters.

"Everyone laughed at me and said I was a bad guy who wanted to ruin the tourist industry," he added.

The tsunami took just 75 minutes to hit the beaches and islands of Thailand's Andaman Sea coast, 600 km (375 miles) from the earthquake's epicenter.

Hotels on Thailand's Andaman Sea coast were packed when the tsunami hit, killing at least 5,187 people, including more than 2,400 foreign tourists, many from Scandinavia, drawn to its sand, warm seas and coral reefs to escape the long northern winter.

[aaaaaa]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/0...reut/index.html

Expert: I tried to warn of tsunami

Monday, January 3, 2005 Posted: 9:50 PM EST (0250 GMT)

PHUKET, Thailand (Reuters) -- A Thai expert says he tried to warn the government a deadly tsunami might be sweeping towards tourist-packed beaches, but couldn't find anyone to take his calls.

Samith Dhammasaroj said Monday he was sure a tsunami was coming as soon as he heard about the massive December 26 earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island that measured magnitude 9.0 -- the world's biggest in 40 years.

"I tried to call the director-general of the meteorological office, but his phone was always busy," Samith said as he described his desperate attempts to generate an alert which might have saved thousands of lives.

"I tried to phone the office, but it was a Sunday and no-one was there," said the former chief of the meteorological department now charged with setting up an early warning disaster system for Thailand.

"I knew that one day we would have this type of tsunami. I warned that there would be a big disaster," he told reporters.

"Everyone laughed at me and said I was a bad guy who wanted to ruin the tourist industry," he added.................

[see full story on CNN web site - URL above]

[astral]

"Jobs for the boys", so far.

The real challenge is how to get the information out to the people, in a way that they will believe and act upon.

In this region it is once in a life time event, if that.

Krakatoa 1883 was the last time, I think.

It is hard to build a system for that kind of time frame.