The Disaster Warning System In Phuket Will Be Tested Today

[Jai Dee]

The disaster warning system in Phuket will be tested today.

Phuket province tested the disaster warning system covering 12 locations on Phuket Island today.

Deputy Phuket governor Worapoj Rattasima (วรพจน์ รัฐสีมา) said that the test today is conducted after the system has been installed since February 15. He said that the 12 locations to be tested today include the disaster warning tower, 9 local administrations, 3 locations at the Information and Communications Technology Ministry. He said that the center will send signals via satellite to 12 locations. The signals include earthquake alert, tsunami alert, as well as alerts for floods and storms.

Mr. Worapoj said that the whole system will be tested, while tourists and the people will be familiarized with the signals. He said that the testing will boost confidence in the province’s disaster prevention. Therefore, he said that tourists and the people should not panic over the drills today.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 22 Febuary 2006

[Patong Bob]

No-one here in Patong, Thai or Farang, seems to know anything about it.

Looks like we will have another panic when the sirens start with everyone driving up the hill like maniacs, screaming "Bpai, bpai !!!" just like they did when the sirens were sounded to impress the Miss Universe girls last year.

[Jai Dee]

Phuket will run tests on 12 early warning towers today.

Andaman News TV11 + Radio Thailand FM90.5 Phuket City, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, 8.30am Wednesday 22 February 2006 & www.Thaisnews.com

12 early warning towers on Phuket Island will be tested between 9.30 - midday today to assure they are properly functioning. Phuket Vice Governor Worapotch Ratasrima issued a statement informing residents and visitors that they need not panic when hear the alarm sirens as they are only tests. The siren will be triggered from the National Disaster Warning Centre or NDWC centered in Bangkok. The 12 towers are located at Chalong Bay, Laem Tukkae, Rawai, Saphan Hin, Ao Yon, Kata, Karon, Kamala, Naiyang, Bang Tao, Mai Khao and Ao Por.

To test the early warning system, the local authority needs to consult and get approval from the NDWC to ensure that the general public are well informed to prevent any panic or misunderstanding.

[george]

Dry-run of Phuket tsunami warning system test declared success

PHUKET: -- The latest test of the tsunami warning system in Thailand's southern resort province of Phuket Wednesday morning proved that the system worked properly and satisfactorily, according to an official report.

Twelve Phuket tsunami warning towers -- at Chalong, Laem Tukkae, Rawai, Saphan Hin, Cape Panwa, Kata, Karon, Kamala, Nai Yang, Bang Tao, Mai Khao and Ao Por -- were tested by the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Bangkok's suburban province of Nonthaburi Wednesday at 09:30 a.m.

The alarms on all 12 towers functioned successfully when the NDWC set off the alert sirens in Nonthaburi.

To prevent local residents and tourists in the islands from going into panic, advance announcements were made in five languages -- Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese, and German -- to inform them prior to the drill.

Phuket was one of Thailand's six southern Andaman coastal provinces devastated by the December 26, 2004 tsunami.

The other five provinces were Phang-nga, Krabi, Trang, Ranong and Satun.

A total of 5,226 people died in the disaster, together with 11,279 injured, and 2,914 missing.

The death toll in Takua Pa District of Phang-nga Province was the highest of all, with 3,808 persons lost.

--TNA 2006-02-22

[sonthaya]

The latest newsletter from Phuket Gazette:

Tsunami tower test causes consternation

PHUKET: Officials declared this morning’s test of 12 tsunami warning towers a success, but residents of some parts of the island said they were terrified as they had received no warning of the test, during which full emergency messages were broadcast.

One woman living in Chalong said, “The warning tower kept broadcasting a message telling us to get out and run for higher ground. Cars were roaring up the hill past our house. It was very frightening.”

“In the end, I called my husband and he told me that it was just a drill,” she said.

The Gazette was at Saphan Hin for the test there, during which the broadcast message, in English, was, “Attention please! Attention please! There are tidal waves from storm winds. Please leave the beach as far as possible for higher ground urgently.”

The Mandarin version mentioned a “typhoon”.

Arun Keodso m, Chief of the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), apologized to those frightened by the test.

“I want to apologize to people [who were panicked]. We informed the tambon administration organizations, the district offices, the Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office, and the press and TV stations about the test,” he said.

“I told the NDWC [the National Disaster Warning Center in Nonthaburi, outside Bangkok] to broadcast ‘This is a drill’ at the beginning of each warning. But they didn’t do that. They broadcast that message just once, right at the beginning of the test,” he added.

That apart, he said, the test was a success. “We tested all 12 warning towers. The trial was satisfactory.”

In addition to the 12 tested this morning, four more warning towers are in various stages of construction.

Vice-Governor Worapot Ratthasima told the Gazette that the tow er on Koh Lone, off Chalong, is ready, but has not yet been linked to the NDWC.

Two more towers are to be built at Nai Harn and Kata Noi, funded by donations from Thai TV channel iTV. They are expected to be completed in March.

“Recently, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura went to Koh Racha. He observed that this is a tsunami danger area and assigned me to contact iTV to request funding for one more tower.”

K. Arun said that the budget has already been approved by iTV and the tower will be completed in April.

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The Phuket Gazette

18:36 local time (GMT +7)