Evacuation drills considered for Chiang Rai

Fourth minor quake in last three days

CHIANG MAI: -- An earthquake evacuation drill is being considered for residents in Chiang Rai after a minor quake, officially the fourth in three days, jolted the province yesterday. According to the Chiang Rai-based meteorological office, a small-sized quake with the magnitude of 2.6 struck the northern province in Wiang Pa Pao district at 1.50am.

There has been no report of damage or injuries resulting from the quakes.

Suthep Dejchaisri, a chief disaster prevention and mitigation official, said an evacuation drill was being planned after the latest quake.

He said the latest quake is not an aftershock of the previous quakes because the epicentre is not in the same area.

According to Mr Suthep, damage is being surveyed in Thoeng and Pa Daet districts where medium-sized quakes struck on Thursday and Friday.

The tremors have caused cracks in residential and public buildings including a hospital and a local administrative office.

The first tremor recorded a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter scale and was reported on Friday. It caused slight damage to private property in Thoeng district.

On the following day, two medium-sized quakes measuring 3.8 and 3.9 on the Richter scale caused some damage in Pa Daet district.

According to Pa Daet Hospital staff, the quakes made patients panic and some have prepared themselves to leave the two-storey building.

Pa Daet district staff also reported that they heard loud noises and saw buildings shaking and ceilings cracking.

Some local residents, including district chief Cherdchai Piboonwuttikul, also reported two other quakes, one in the early morning and the other in the afternoon, on Friday which jolted the district but the weather bureau did not confirm them.

The other two quakes hit the area at 6.10am and 1.50pm.

--Bangkok Post 2005-12-18

During the last rainy season Taksin had the Mae Suai dam opened, flooding the Lao stream. He then sent out aid teams to give out bottled water and blankets, etc - his form of vote buying.

We really don't need evacuation! A friend told me there are 30 earthquakes PER DAY in Nepal - small ones like we just had here. The Himilayan chain will remain like that, the landmass of India pushing north. The quakes here weren't dangerous, and there haven't been bad quakes for hundreds of years. Certainly could happen again, here, or anywhere.

Sometimes governments just like to appear concerned.