Asian Tsunami Alert Issued

[harrry]

Tsunami watch, issued for five countries, canceled

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/...dia.earthquake/

LaoPo

At least some coutries still have warning bhoys whos batteries still work.

[sunholidaysun1]

I was lucky in Dec 2004 , I was going to go to Phuket for Xmas but ended up staying in BKK .

It is only a matter of time when the next tsunami will strike again and when it does if the earthquake is like the

one mentioned and triggers the wave then I dont think there wil be much hope of evacuating Phuket if its in th emiddle of the

night. Even if a warning is given 1 hour before arrival , how is that place going to be cleared of people - Impossible .

Its possible more of a risk to cross the road and be hit by a car than being hit by a Tsunami but I am not going near that place or anywhere

on that coast , it would be just my luck to be caught .

[sriracha john]

Tsunami watch canceled

Perhaps this should be reflected in an update to the thread title?

[lordsux]

Could this affect Ranong??

Hardly I think; Ranong is protected from the west (in the case of a tsunami) by lots of islands:

http://maps.google.nl/maps?hl=en&q=por...amp;t=h&z=9

LaoPo

In 2004 many people died in Ranong as a result of the tsunami. Although looking at a map might give one the impression that Ranong is sheltered by the many surrounding islands, it is in fact a hotspot due to to the fact that the estuary fills with water and eventually overflows.

[lordsux]

Maybe this latest alert will shake the authorities that have neglected the early warning system which the international community donated to protect the citizens and visitors of this country and get the bloody battery changed. And not at a cost of 10 million baht as projected.

It is disgraceful the way Tsunami 04 donations have been squandered in Thailand.

[george]

400 people of Phang Nga seaside village evacuated following tsunami warning

PHANG NGA: -- About 400 residents of the Ban Nam Khem village here were evacuated early Tuesday morning following warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore.

Maitree Jongkraijak, a coordinator of the village, said he received a SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Centre at about two minutes after midnight about a possible tsunami because of a quake in the Indian Ocean.

So, so he alerted 60 volunteers to be on standby. When another SMS warning arrived at 5 am, he and the volunteers woke up other residents of the community and led about 400 of them to Ban Nam Khem School, which iss 3-storey building.

They returned home at 7 am when the centre sent another SMS to cancel The tsunami warning.

The Ban Nam Khem village was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

-- The Nation 2009-08-11

[TheMysteriousMrTesla]

Maitree Jongkraijak, a coordinator of the village, said he received a SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Centre at about two minutes after midnight about a possible tsunami because of a quake in the Indian Ocean.

My BOLD. Isn't this about 3 hours before the quake occured (19.55 Zulu) ?

[farangpattaya]

Do'nt worry we have our early warning buoy our govt. will take care of us.

[ScubaBuddha]

I was lucky in Dec 2004 , I was going to go to Phuket for Xmas but ended up staying in BKK .

It is only a matter of time when the next tsunami will strike again and when it does if the earthquake is like the

one mentioned and triggers the wave then I dont think there wil be much hope of evacuating Phuket if its in th emiddle of the

night. Even if a warning is given 1 hour before arrival , how is that place going to be cleared of people - Impossible .

Its possible more of a risk to cross the road and be hit by a car than being hit by a Tsunami but I am not going near that place or anywhere

on that coast , it would be just my luck to be caught .

You don't "evacuate Phuket," you move people inland and to higher ground along the coastal areas. We have warning towers all over now, and signs telling people were the Tsunami evacuation sites are. Even if you can only get to the second or third floor of your hotel, if it's built half way decently, you are relatively safe. I have one siren about a kilometer to each side of my house. Niether one went off this morning, nor did I feel the quake. My first warning came in the form of telephone calls from people in America.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[ScubaBuddha]

400 people of Phang Nga seaside village evacuated following tsunami warning

PHANG NGA: -- About 400 residents of the Ban Nam Khem village here were evacuated early Tuesday morning following warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore.

Maitree Jongkraijak, a coordinator of the village, said he received a SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Centre at about two minutes after midnight about a possible tsunami because of a quake in the Indian Ocean.

So, so he alerted 60 volunteers to be on standby. When another SMS warning arrived at 5 am, he and the volunteers woke up other residents of the community and led about 400 of them to Ban Nam Khem School, which iss 3-storey building.

They returned home at 7 am when the centre sent another SMS to cancel The tsunami warning.

The Ban Nam Khem village was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

-- The Nation 2009-08-11

Nice proofreading Nation.

Anyone know how to get on this SMS warning system?

[Thai at Heart]

400 people of Phang Nga seaside village evacuated following tsunami warning

PHANG NGA: -- About 400 residents of the Ban Nam Khem village here were evacuated early Tuesday morning following warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore.

Maitree Jongkraijak, a coordinator of the village, said he received a SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Centre at about two minutes after midnight about a possible tsunami because of a quake in the Indian Ocean.

So, so he alerted 60 volunteers to be on standby. When another SMS warning arrived at 5 am, he and the volunteers woke up other residents of the community and led about 400 of them to Ban Nam Khem School, which iss 3-storey building.

They returned home at 7 am when the centre sent another SMS to cancel The tsunami warning.

The Ban Nam Khem village was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

-- The Nation 2009-08-11

Nice proofreading Nation.

Anyone know how to get on this SMS warning system?

That would be far too forward thinking. Probably reserved for Pooyai baan only.

[ScubaBuddha]

No tsunami warning for Phuket

PHUKET / PHANG NGA: A tsunami evactuation was conducted in Phang Nga's Ban Nam Khem village last night, but there were no evacuations or warnings in Phuket.

About 400 residents of the Ban Nam Khem village in Phang Nga’s Takua Pa district were evacuated early this morning following warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore.

The warning followed a 7.6 Richter earthquake reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at 1:55am this morning.

Maitree Jongkraijak, a Ban Nam Khem community co-ordinator, said he received an SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Center (NDMC) at about two minutes after midnight following a report of a 4.8 Richter quake.

The larger quake was centered about 260 kilometers north of India’s Andaman Islands, according to the USGS.

The epicenter was 33 kilometers beneath the earth’s surface.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami watch for Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand, saying the earthquake was strong enough to produce a tsunami along coastlines within a 1,000-kilometer radius.

At Ban Nam Khem, Mr Maitree immediately alerted 60 volunteers to be on standby after the first quake.

When another SMS warning arrived at 5am, he and the volunteers woke up residents of the community and led about 400 of them to the upper floors of the three-story Ban Nam Khem School

They returned home at 7am, when the center sent another SMS to cancel the tsunami warning.

The Ban Nam Khem village was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

It is not yet known why the alert was issued so long after the quake was reported or how many other coastal communities conducted similar evacuations.

There were no evacuations or warnings in Phuket, however.

In a related development, the tsunami direct detection buoy moored off Phuket – the closest to the epicenter – surprisingly resumed transmitting data last night, just before the quake.

The Gazette earlier reported that its battery had died and it stopped transmitting on June 16, a fact confirmed by the NDWC and the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket).

NDWC advisor Dr Seree Supratit confirmed this morning that the buoy had resumed transmitting data, though he did not know how.

The Gazette has been unable to contact NDWC technicians this morning to see if the battery is just low and the unit is now being selectively activated following reports of seismic activity to save on power.

It is still not known whether data from the buoy was used by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in issuing the alert.

As of yesterday afternoon, there were no functioning direct detection buoys in the Indian Ocean, but this morning there are five, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) website.

In addition to the Phuket buoy, India has now deployed four direct detection buoys along its coastline.

Of these, three were transmitting this morning, according to the NDBC website.

NDWC committee chairman Dr Smith Dharmasaroja last week told the Gazette that due to their location, the Indian buoys would be of little benefit to Thailand in the event of a tsunami.

Dr Smith said he was frustrated by political infighting at the agency that has prevented it from deploying two more buoys, funding for which was approved last year.

There is disagreement in the agency over whether the detection buoys should be bought from the US or the same company that sold the buoys to India, he said.

Dr Smith said he had requested a budget to replace the batteries on the Phuket tsunami buoy ‘many times’, but without success.

– Khunakorn Terdkiatkhachorn and Nation reporters

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In a related development, the tsunami direct detection buoy moored off Phuket – the closest to the epicenter – surprisingly resumed transmitting data last night, just before the quake."

"The Gazette has been unable to contact NDWC technicians this morning to see if the battery is just low and the unit is now being selectively activated following reports of seismic activity to save on power."

"As of yesterday afternoon, there were no functioning direct detection buoys in the Indian Ocean, but this morning there are five, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) website."

<deleted>?

Well the evidence seems pretty conclusive...activating tsunami bouys causes earthquakes.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[Thai at Heart]

No tsunami warning for Phuket

PHUKET / PHANG NGA: A tsunami evactuation was conducted in Phang Nga's Ban Nam Khem village last night, but there were no evacuations or warnings in Phuket.

About 400 residents of the Ban Nam Khem village in Phang Nga’s Takua Pa district were evacuated early this morning following warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore.

The warning followed a 7.6 Richter earthquake reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at 1:55am this morning.

Maitree Jongkraijak, a Ban Nam Khem community co-ordinator, said he received an SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Center (NDMC) at about two minutes after midnight following a report of a 4.8 Richter quake.

The larger quake was centered about 260 kilometers north of India’s Andaman Islands, according to the USGS.

The epicenter was 33 kilometers beneath the earth’s surface.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami watch for Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand, saying the earthquake was strong enough to produce a tsunami along coastlines within a 1,000-kilometer radius.

At Ban Nam Khem, Mr Maitree immediately alerted 60 volunteers to be on standby after the first quake.

When another SMS warning arrived at 5am, he and the volunteers woke up residents of the community and led about 400 of them to the upper floors of the three-story Ban Nam Khem School

They returned home at 7am, when the center sent another SMS to cancel the tsunami warning.

The Ban Nam Khem village was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

It is not yet known why the alert was issued so long after the quake was reported or how many other coastal communities conducted similar evacuations.

There were no evacuations or warnings in Phuket, however.

In a related development, the tsunami direct detection buoy moored off Phuket – the closest to the epicenter – surprisingly resumed transmitting data last night, just before the quake.

The Gazette earlier reported that its battery had died and it stopped transmitting on June 16, a fact confirmed by the NDWC and the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket).

NDWC advisor Dr Seree Supratit confirmed this morning that the buoy had resumed transmitting data, though he did not know how.

The Gazette has been unable to contact NDWC technicians this morning to see if the battery is just low and the unit is now being selectively activated following reports of seismic activity to save on power.

It is still not known whether data from the buoy was used by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in issuing the alert.

As of yesterday afternoon, there were no functioning direct detection buoys in the Indian Ocean, but this morning there are five, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) website.

In addition to the Phuket buoy, India has now deployed four direct detection buoys along its coastline.

Of these, three were transmitting this morning, according to the NDBC website.

NDWC committee chairman Dr Smith Dharmasaroja last week told the Gazette that due to their location, the Indian buoys would be of little benefit to Thailand in the event of a tsunami.

Dr Smith said he was frustrated by political infighting at the agency that has prevented it from deploying two more buoys, funding for which was approved last year.

There is disagreement in the agency over whether the detection buoys should be bought from the US or the same company that sold the buoys to India, he said.

Dr Smith said he had requested a budget to replace the batteries on the Phuket tsunami buoy ‘many times’, but without success.

– Khunakorn Terdkiatkhachorn and Nation reporters

What an amazing story of incompetence. Thank god for the people that there actually wasn't a tsunami.

I can wholeheartedly say that I will avoid Phuket and that entire side of the country simply for the reason of incompetence in warning tourists about possible impending tsunamis. How can a small hamlet get warned but the entire island of Phuket doesn't hear diddly squat?

I can understand that one cannot live in fear of the sky falling on one's head, but one can choose to avoid complete and utter incompetence. Can one rely on the authorities to get ANYTHING right in this country?

[JetsetBkk]

What an amazing story of incompetence. Thank god for the people that there actually wasn't a tsunami.

I can wholeheartedly say that I will avoid Phuket and that entire side of the country simply for the reason of incompetence in warning tourists about possible impending tsunamis. How can a small hamlet get warned but the entire island of Phuket doesn't hear diddly squat?

I can understand that one cannot live in fear of the sky falling on one's head, but one can choose to avoid complete and utter incompetence. Can one rely on the authorities to get ANYTHING right in this country?

Agreed. Tsunami buoys that don't work, do work, no one knows why, who cares. Pathetic. And tomorrow this'll all be forgotten. Carry on guys, get those snouts in the trough and keep sucking.

[JetsetBkk]

Phuket Gazette:

...In a related development, the tsunami direct detection buoy moored off Phuket – the closest to the epicenter – surprisingly resumed transmitting data last night, just before the quake....

Maybe we underestimate these NDWC guys. Clearly, they knew that a jolt from an earthquake would get the battery going again, just like banging their TV remote does. Breathe easy everyone, we are in safe hands.

[ScubaBuddha]

I can wholeheartedly say that I will avoid Phuket and that entire side of the country

That is a huge over-reaction. If this is your greatest concern in life, you must not have very many concerns.

[Thai at Heart]

I can wholeheartedly say that I will avoid Phuket and that entire side of the country

That is a huge over-reaction. If this is your greatest concern in life, you must not have very many concerns.

Considering my wife lost two cousins in the last tsunami she hated going anywhere Phuket for holidays anyway. I convinced her several times that there was a system in place and the odds were extremely low. The odds are extremely low, but when the system is proven to be incompetent I will choose not to go.

I don't have that many concerns, but much like choosing not to ride buses or motorcycles, one can choose to control one's own destiny just a little. I am little confused as to why you think that may be an over reaction?

Having lived in an earthquake zone for several years, there are some things you can do to try to save yourself should a natural disaster such as an earthquake come your way. Fortunately also, in those countries in which I lived with regular earthquakes the government understood that it should be ready and organised to help and mitigate the situation not contribute to it through utter incompetence. The sheer and utter disregard for the safety of the people in potential tsunami zones in Thailand in this situation is incredulous.

A tsunami is even easier to avoid on the basis that it gives you warning. I don't see why I should put myself and my family in harms way simply because the system is completely incapable of passing on information to avoid one's impending doom.

[chiang mai]

400 people of Phang Nga seaside village evacuated following tsunami warning

PHANG NGA: -- About 400 residents of the Ban Nam Khem village here were evacuated early Tuesday morning following warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore.

Maitree Jongkraijak, a coordinator of the village, said he received a SMS warning from the National Disaster Monitoring Centre at about two minutes after midnight about a possible tsunami because of a quake in the Indian Ocean.

So, so he alerted 60 volunteers to be on standby. When another SMS warning arrived at 5 am, he and the volunteers woke up other residents of the community and led about 400 of them to Ban Nam Khem School, which iss 3-storey building.

They returned home at 7 am when the centre sent another SMS to cancel The tsunami warning.

The Ban Nam Khem village was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

-- The Nation 2009-08-11

I simply don't believe this story, can anyone in the area verify its contents?

The reasons I don't believe it is because, A) Ban Nam Khem village is, I believe, East of Phuket and as such is somewhat sheltered and not, I would have thought, a priority location for evacuation. (note the 2004 Tsunami was derived from the South whereas last night quake was due West of Phuket). The SMS was received at 05:00 when the target arrival time of Tsunami was calculated as 05:44. In the following 44 minutes they woke and evacuated 400 people, seems highly improbable. C) I watched the beach in Patong from around 05:20 until 05:45 and there was absolutely no police, evacuation or any other type of activity. If you were going to evacuate a village in the East, surely logic (opps, sorry) suggests you would do something for the residents at the closest landfall. I reckon this is just an article put suggesting that somebody did something when in reality, nobody did anything.

[Chunkton]

Do'nt worry we have our early warning buoy our govt. will take care of us.

Nope...battery dead.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/

Oh oh, does this mean someone getting transferred to an inactive post retaining full pay and benefits. By inactive I mean simply even more inactive than in their current role.

[sunholidaysun1]

If Phuket was hit by a 30-40mtr Tsunami like what hit Bandha Ache then there is no hope for that place. Being moved to higher ground is possibly the only safe bet but would have to be higher than what you think .

AS for being on the 3rd floor of a hotel , forget it . Phukets last Tsunami in 2004 was similar to those that hit the shores of Japan on a regular basis but if the big one comes , I hate to think of what that outcome would be and no warning alarm at 4am is going to get people up and running to safty in time .

We can only pray that it never happens .

[Thai at Heart]

If Phuket was hit by a 30-40mtr Tsunami like what hit Bandha Ache then there is no hope for that place. Being moved to higher ground is possibly the only safe bet but would have to be higher than what you think .

AS for being on the 3rd floor of a hotel , forget it . Phukets last Tsunami in 2004 was similar to those that hit the shores of Japan on a regular basis but if the big one comes , I hate to think of what that outcome would be and no warning alarm at 4am is going to get people up and running to safty in time .

We can only pray that it never happens .

Oh well then, that lets the authorities off the hook. The Malthusian defence for incompetence.

[LaoPo]

Could this affect Ranong??

Hardly I think; Ranong is protected from the west (in the case of a tsunami) by lots of islands:

http://maps.google.nl/maps?hl=en&q=por...amp;t=h&z=9

LaoPo

In 2004 many people died in Ranong as a result of the tsunami. Although looking at a map might give one the impression that Ranong is sheltered by the many surrounding islands, it is in fact a hotspot due to to the fact that the estuary fills with water and eventually overflows.

I'm sorry if there's some confusion; I think Mary-Jane meant the city of Ranong and not the Province Ranong.

I looked it up and officially there were 169 deaths and 12 people missing in "Ranong"; I'm of course not sure about the non-official numbers because there must have been a lot of Burmese (illegal) people at that time in Ranong Province.

I can't find any details about WHERE most victims were found after the Tsunami but I suppose most of the victims would have been in the southern part of Ranong Province since the Tsnunami waves were coming from the south and Ranong city is way more up north.

But, as said, I can't find the details

Map:

LaoPo

[sbk]

Given that the alert has been cancelled and the time passed for the potential tsunami

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