Last week's Tsunami Warning

[OlRedEyes]

Fox reports no tsunami caused.

[penzman]

It has just been reported on channel 9 that water has receded on 3 occasions around Surin Island, Phang Nga.

Edited July 24, 2005 by penzman

[lampard10]

Nothing much happening in Rawai (south Phuket) at the moment (1:00 am), apart from all the locals heading for the hills again. The top of the road from Rawai to Chalong is packed again, and a lot of the girls working in the bars have left for high ground, so not much fun playing pool

I went to Rawai beach, but just a crowd of curious locals staring at the see. High tide at the moment, so if there is a wave, it won't have far to go

The cops turned up, loudspeakers telling people to go home and get 200 meters from the sea. Most of the crowd - including me - reluctantly sloped off.

As there was not much on CNN and BBC, I didn't think it would be a big problem this time. I hope I'm right.

Nice thing when I got home - my American neighbour's wife was outside and asked if I knew about the tsunami warning because she didn't have my number and wanted to call me. Sweet!

Just heard a news report on BBC - all of 20 seconds' worth.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's probably not so serious, but it's better to be safe than sorry like last time. Just hope it is a false alarm. Don't think I could go through that again.

[gerrryuk]

CH-3 in Thai.CNN has no coverage yet.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Try this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4713011.stm

My wife called and told me an hour or so ago

Edited July 24, 2005 by gerrryuk

[ronz28]

Dever- U.S. Geological Office saying on CNN

No Tsunami reported and not likely with a 7.0.- but he's in Denver, Colorado.

[cdnvic]

Just got off the phone with my wife who is on a hill in the Karon Beach area. Big crowds on all the high ground and the police are saying to go home unless they are near the water or on low ground.

cv

[penzman]

Just heard that the warning has been called off in Sri Lanka and India.

[kandt]

I'm in Kata/Karon right now.. i will post up news as soon as i get it...

So far.. nothing but panic, there was a loud speaker van going round telling people (in thai) to get away from the beaches) otherwise nothing...

Will report as and when i find out

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nicobar Island is 7.5 degree N, 92 degree E. Patong is 7.5 degree N and 98 degree E. Hopefully no tsunami has developed from the earthquake.

Cheers......kandt

[The_Other_Mac]

I don't know the calculations myself, but I don't think the speed of a shockwave in water varies much. So since it hasn't happened by now, I think we can breathe a sigh of relief.

(Presumably it'll be a while longer before someone in Phuket is responsible for giving the all-clear, which is fair enough really.)

[penzman]

Sound travels about 4 times faster in water than it does in air, since it has more density. I guess it has the same properties for shockwaves, remember the war movies with ships dropping charges around submarines?

[baht&sold]

Good to see the warning system (as such) was deployed and at the least it's a good excersise in awareness. But apparently anything around 7 richter is unlikely to form a tsunami unless in opprtune circumstance- undersea and approach topography, nature of plate collapse or slide etc. Read this on the US seismo site, not to be taken as a rule of course.

[khall64au]

Nothing much happening in Rawai (south Phuket) at the moment (1:00 am), apart from all the locals heading for the hills again. The top of the road from Rawai to Chalong is packed again, and a lot of the girls working in the bars have left for high ground, so not much fun playing pool

I went to Rawai beach, but just a crowd of curious locals staring at the see. High tide at the moment, so if there is a wave, it won't have far to go

The cops turned up, loudspeakers telling people to go home and get 200 meters from the sea. Most of the crowd - including me - reluctantly sloped off.

As there was not much on CNN and BBC, I didn't think it would be a big problem this time. I hope I'm right.

Nice thing when I got home - my American neighbour's wife was outside and asked if I knew about the tsunami warning because she didn't have my number and wanted to call me. Sweet!

Just heard a news report on BBC - all of 20 seconds' worth.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just came through Rawai at 1.45 am after a visit to the cinema ("The Island- a VERY disturbing movie) - only to be stopped by hundreds of locals crowded on the hill with pillows and sleeping mats

Wasn't sure what to make of it all and felt that now familiar sense of doom. Hundreds more locals were walking back down toward the coast.

At least now I know what is going on.

Thanks all!

[Boo]

have to agree with baht&sold here, at least a warning system is in place & seems to be working, if only it was available on December 26th

[penzman]

Topic moved from General to Thailand Tsunami News Forum.

[george]

Thais issue, then cancel, tsunami warning after big Nicobar quake

BANGKOK: -- The Thai authorities issued a tsunami warning late yesterday — and then cancelled it over an hour later — for the south-west coast after a major earthquake in India's Nicobar Islands.

The warning was issued for the south-western coastal region, including Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Satun and Trang provinces.

There were reports that many people in the areas mentioned heeded the warning and headed for higher ground.

Earlier, the US Geological Survey said in a bulletin that an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale had struck the Nicobar Islands about 135km west of Misha in the Nicobar Islands or about 440km northwest of Banda Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Thai emergency broadcasts had cited seismologists as saying that the quake measured 7.3 and occurred about 660km west of Phuket, Thailand's main beach tourist destination which was hit by last year's tsunami disaster that was caused by an earthquake off Sumatra.

The Dec 26 waves killed about 5,400 people in Thailand, almost half of them foreign holidaymakers, and caused massive damage. More than 2,800 others are still listed as missing.

India and Sri Lanka, too, were alerted about the latest earthquake but both countries decided later that there was no threat of a tsunami.

The latest information it had from the naval authorities in Port Blair, which is the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, was that there was no untoward activity in the sea, said Indian Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal. He said there was no need to worry and no need to panic.

In Colombo, Sri Lanka said it faced no threat of a tsunami after the powerful earthquake in neighbouring India's remote Nicobar Islands.

However mild tremors were felt in several parts of the country.

Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries in last December's tsunami disaster.

-- AFP 2005-07-25

[george]

The Nation news version:

Tsunami warning for southern provinces

PHUKET: -- Traffic along beachside roads on Phuket was in chaos last night as tourists and locals rushed further inland following a tsunami warning issued for six southern provinces issued by the National Disaster Warning Centre.

The warning was triggered by an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale with its epicentre located near India's Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean, about 664 kilometres from Phuket.

Tourists on Krabi's Phi Phi island also moved to higher ground after the centre's director, Plodprasop Suraswadi, said in two broadcasts shortly before midnight that a tsunami was possible in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Satun, Ranong and Trang.

All six provinces were affected by the December 26 tsunami.

Plodprasop said local authorities should inform residents about the possibility of a tsunami in the areas and prepare for evacuation of people in areas that could be affected.

The centre expected the first of the giant waves to hit Phuket's Karon beach at 0.12am. In a third emergency broadcast, Plodprasop insisted on the possibility of a tsunami striking although it was 15 minutes after midnight.

The governors of Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi ordered evacuation of residents in coastal areas following the warning.

--The Nation 2005-07-25

[Tornado]

great to be forewarned, but I slept through the 9 phonecalls and messages from mates . Tsunami warning system working well and everyone safe.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

great to be forewarned, but I slept through the 9 phonecalls and messages from mates  . Tsunami warning system working well and everyone safe. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

9 phone calls Torny Jeeeez ... a few weak shandies on board ?

[udon]

For those of you in areas affected by the last tsunami, you can subscribe to an email alert from the USGS HERE

[Tornado]

great to be forewarned, but I slept through the 9 phonecalls and messages from mates  . Tsunami warning system working well and everyone safe. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

9 phone calls Torny Jeeeez ... a few weak shandies on board ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

maybe a couple doc

I have been in Nakhon for the last two days on a "promotional tour" for the upcoming elections... The wife's family have been the village chiefs for over 20 years, but since the dad died earlier this year, they are getting worried people will change parties. 2 ton of fruit and many cases of whisky should help them stay on course (I learnt that from Mr Shina what).

sorry to go off topic, but all is well in Phuket - storm in a tea cup in the end, but Its great to see the authorities doing there jobs.

Edited July 25, 2005 by Tornado

[deepdiver]

My wifes just said the news has issued a new tsunami warning for 01.00 today. New earthquake 600km's off shore. Anyone else know anything?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NOW I AMSHORE .... your wife needs what nightcruiser offered here !!!

by the way, she still sleeps in the same road as you do ?

Edited July 25, 2005 by deepdiver

[Chua]

Why don't the scientists & officials, who are supposedly in the know, warn people based on real changes in water density and actual wave height at islands along the way, instead of everytime there is an earthquake nearby? NOT ALL UNDERWATER EARTHQUAKES CAUSE TSUNAMIS, indeed there are underwater quakes all the time, but the last tsunami anywhere near the size that hit Sri Lanka & Thailand hadn't been seen anywhere on Earth for 40 years before. Warning people everytime there is an underwater Earthquake is like warning pedestrians everytime a car is coming that an accident is coming. Only underwater Earthquakes with a particular type of plate motion (up & down, as opposed to side to side) create Tsunamis. Also, the intensity has quite a bit to do with it, as the destructive tsunami was caused by an approx 9.0 quake, which is 100 times stronger than a 7.0 quake.

Giving people warnings that turn out to be false is as bad as giving no warnings at all, because people will come to believe the warnings are never right, and eventually will not head them, like the Aesop fable of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf!"

[lampard10]

My wifes just said the news has issued a new tsunami warning for 01.00 today. New earthquake 600km's off shore. Anyone else know anything?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NOW I AMSHORE .... your wife needs what nightcruiser offered here !!!

by the way, she still sleeps in the same road as you do ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NAAWWWWW; I 'avn't slept in the road since I gave up a bottle of scotch for breakfast.

[george]

Update:

Practice paying off for Thailand's tsunami drill

BANGKOK: -- After several practice runs and one "live" alert, Thailand's tsunami warning system swung smoothly into action following Sunday's Andaman Sea quake, but coastal residents said the still ad hoc set-up needs fine tuning. "I would give them about eight out of ten," said Frank Dreist, general manager of the 273-room Kata Beach Resort on Phuket, the tsunami-hit southern resort island where Thailand has worked hardest to build an effective alert network.

"The night manager was phoned by the authorities about 15 to 20 minutes after if happened and the police were very quick to get out with loudspeakers," he said. "We immediately evacuated the ground floor, moving guests to higher floors or the roof."

The U.S. geological survey measured Sunday night's (1542 GMT) quake in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 7.0 on the Richter scale, just below the 7.5 reading experts say is needed to generate a tsunami.

The Dec. 26 wave, which left 227,000 dead or missing around the Indian Ocean, was triggered by a 9.15 magnitude earthquake. Thailand, which has been promoting its early warning capabilities as a tourist confidence booster, still chose to issue an alert, interrupting programming on all television networks to tell those in southwestern coastal areas to evacuate.

On the island of Phi Phi, famed as the utopian backdrop to cult Leonardo di Caprio backpacker movie "The Beach", the message came through on TV, but a jammed mobile phone network meant it was difficult to pass on, residents said.

"The warnings were mostly in Thai, so didn't help tourists that much. But it definitely helped to have clarification if this was a real warning or just another earthquake," said Andrew Hewett, a British dive operator.

"Quite a lot of people went to higher ground and slept on the mountain, but those with experience of last time went only as high as needed. Some just slept on the roof," he said.

Sirens installed on the island's now-pristine beaches are due to be tested this week, which should make the mobile phone network problem less of an issue, he said.

RISK OF CRYING WOLF

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawtra said the warning system, which uses everything from television, radio and mobile phone text messages to sirens and policemen with megaphones, was set for 7.0 Richter quakes or bigger.

He acknowledged the risk of "crying wolf" too often, but said the greater margin of error was justified because monitoring networks were not perfect.

"If we ran too many times, the concern is that people might be less alert in the future when the real tsunami comes. People might treat them as more false alarms," Thaksin told reporters.

"But when we have inadequate equipment, there's no harm issuing an alert. It's better to err on the side of safety rather than make a wrong decision," he said.

Sunday's alert was the second since Dec. 26. in Thailand, where 5,395 people, including 1,953 foreigners, were killed. An 8.7 magnitude quake off the northern coast of Sumatra on March 29 triggered a coastal evacuation order but no tsunami.

"Last night was better than the one before. People panicked less and they knew what to do and where to go," said Suvit Othong, superintendent of Phuket police, although he admitted roads away from beach areas were clogged with traffic.

--Reuters 2005-07-25

[lordsux]

Ohh no lets just prey nobody gets hurt if this is happening again, and that the relevant authourities are now evacuating all people to a safe distance

Not where I live

I live on a small island on the Andaman coast, at the time of this last quake it was high tide, which means that the sea is about 8 meters from my bed.

The island did get warning, the village was evacuated, my neighbours (the temple) were of course warned. But noone bothered to warn us. Ok fair enough people panicked and headed to high ground but I think that someone should have warned my gf and I.

The island has no mainland power, so tv and such is not really an option for a warning especially at the time when the warning was given. There are telephone lines on the island but the line is solar powered and being the rainy season the phones do not work even half the time. Luckily I live at one of the few places on the island where there is sporadic mobile signal. Someone could have called for sure, but if they are giving an official warning I wonder why an SMS was not sent to all mobile phones.

Taking the worse case scenario where there iwas in fact a tsunami on its way then an SMS would save lives for sure. Not only my gf's and mine but also three other falangs that live close to me who also were not warned.

Moan over!!

[khall64au]

Ohh no lets just prey nobody gets hurt if this is happening again, and that the relevant authourities are now evacuating all people to a safe distance

Not where I live

I live on a small island on the Andaman coast, at the time of this last quake it was high tide, which means that the sea is about 8 meters from my bed.

The island did get warning, the village was evacuated, my neighbours (the temple) were of course warned. But noone bothered to warn us. Ok fair enough people panicked and headed to high ground but I think that someone should have warned my gf and I.

The island has no mainland power, so tv and such is not really an option for a warning especially at the time when the warning was given. There are telephone lines on the island but the line is solar powered and being the rainy season the phones do not work even half the time. Luckily I live at one of the few places on the island where there is sporadic mobile signal. Someone could have called for sure, but if they are giving an official warning I wonder why an SMS was not sent to all mobile phones.

Taking the worse case scenario where there iwas in fact a tsunami on its way then an SMS would save lives for sure. Not only my gf's and mine but also three other falangs that live close to me who also were not warned.

Moan over!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

May I ask ... which island are you on?

[lordsux]

Yes, you may.

Im living on Koh Phayam which is a 2-3 hours boat trip from Ranong.

Very nice island, almost untouched by mass tourism. Definatley worth a visit if doing a visa run Ranong-Myanmar.

Come and have something to eat and drink at my restaurant/bar

[khall64au]

Yes, you may.

Im living on Koh Phayam which is a 2-3 hours boat trip from Ranong.

Very nice island, almost untouched by mass tourism. Definatley worth a visit if doing a visa run Ranong-Myanmar.

Come and have something to eat and drink at my restaurant/bar

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And may I ask the name of your restaurant/ bar?

[udon]

Lodsux, It's disturbing to read your a/c.

I would have thought that the first 2 words would be "Tsunami" in English and Thai in any message, if they ever set an SMS warning up properly.

[khall64au]

Lodsux, It's disturbing to read your a/c.

I would have thought that the first 2 words would be "Tsunami" in English and Thai in any message, if they ever set an SMS warning up properly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Udon,

Guess what?

No warning made it my neighborhood and I live on the BIG island!