How often do natural disasters hit Thailand?

[Hal65]

I've been here a couple years (Pattaya) and don't remember a single one. It looks like the country is protected from Tsunamis and maybe hurricanes too. Are there any natural disasters it does get?

[ExpatOilWorker]

Pattaya is one big natural disaster, but if you feel so well protected camp out a rainy night in the newly constructed underpass tunnel.

[Upnotover]

20 minutes ago, Hal65 said:

It looks like the country is protected from Tsunamis

 

I doubt they would agree with you in Phuket.

[starky]

39 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Pattaya is one big natural disaster, but if you feel so well protected camp out a rainy night in the newly constructed underpass tunnel.

Did someone say civil engineering? 

[kannot]

1 minute ago, starky said:

Did someone say civil engineering? 

nothing civil about engineering here, my friend from the UK came for two weeks and  commented on all the concrete work looking "a  bit rough"

[FritsSikkink]

42 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

 

I doubt they would agree with you in Phuket.

5000+ people dead

[nikmar]

you sound almost disappointed.

[StreetCowboy]

I think the flooding in Bangkok in previous years would count as a disaster,  Whether it was natural or man-made is a matter of opinion.

 

Anyway, the Thais can compensate for short-comings in the natural disaster front with politics.

 

Personally, when it comes to natural disasters, I'd be looking for quite a frequency, and none in two years is just the beginning of it

 

SC

[Pungdo]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Pattaya is one big natural disaster, but if you feel so well protected camp out a rainy night in the newly constructed underpass tunnel.

I cannot believe the amount of people who think that an underpass on the top of a hill can flood, either end of it is another story all together though.

[licka]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Pattaya is one big natural disaster, but if you feel so well protected camp out a rainy night in the newly constructed underpass tunnel.

Is this the new jet ski training course??

[licka]

Floods drought and politicians come to mind as disasters 

[elgordo38]

May 22nd 2014

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

There aren't many natural disasters most of them are man made. Bad engineering, bad planning, bad water management and arrogant corrupt civil servants. The last true natural disaster was the tsunami.

[DSJPC]

about every week I would say...coconuts falling on someone's head, kids drowning daily because no one has ever taught them how to swim , motorcycle deaths without helmets, etc....these are all natural...or did u have something else in mind???

[mike324]

OP must have forgot or was not here when Thaialnd was hit hard by the tsunami. Hurricanes do hit, its just in this part of the world, they call it typhoon. Thailand gets hit almost every year, the severity is just smaller compare to those other countries normally in typhoon paths such as Taiwan, Philippines, etc.

 

So yes, there are a lot of natural disasters in Thailand.

[Jedsada3]

6 minutes ago, mike324 said:

So yes, there are a lot of natural disasters in Thailand.

 

She is natural and she is a disaster: my GF's mom ... but I don't know if she counts as "natural disaster"...

[Beats56]

There been some minor earthquakes in the north. If they ever have a big one it would be one pile of rubble the way they build buildings here.

[bark]

26 minutes ago, mike324 said:

OP must have forgot or was not here when Thaialnd was hit hard by the tsunami. Hurricanes do hit, its just in this part of the world, they call it typhoon. Thailand gets hit almost every year, the severity is just smaller compare to those other countries normally in typhoon paths such as Taiwan, Philippines, etc.

 

So yes, there are a lot of natural disasters in Thailand.

Thailand only gets the remains from Typhoon; because the energy is stop by Vietnam. We still get the wind( 100 km ) max. and the heavy rain. Earthquake off the coast of Indonesia and the Tsunami that hit Phuket and the coast line was Christmas 2004 .

Also the Natural Disaster of the Germans when they invaded Pattaya and turned Thai men into Ladyboys. Or so I'm told.

[dunque]

1 hour ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

There aren't many natural disasters most of them are man made. Bad engineering, bad planning, bad water management and arrogant corrupt civil servants. The last true natural disaster was the tsunami.

Isn't that an accurate description of Katrina and New Orleans?

[anon4637435435]

Youll probably find its not soooo bad. Do your homework and youll be right...

God i hope another tsunami doesnt hit. I was in khaolak when it hit. My gf at the time worked in lemeridian hotel. We were at the back of the little shop thats outside the meridian thnks to partying late the night before. We survived thanks to the big wall and dam on the otherside. Everything else was basically gone. Spent the whole night on the roof of that little shop after a day of going through dead bodies and seeing the most disgusting crimes of people looting whatever and however they could. God i hope they check that early warning system regularly. I can still smell the bodies.

[swissbie]

43 minutes ago, bark said:

Thailand only gets the remains from Typhoon; because the energy is stop by Vietnam. We still get the wind( 100 km ) max. and the heavy rain. Earthquake off the coast of Indonesia and the Tsunami that hit Phuket and the coast line was Christmas 2004 .

Also the Natural Disaster of the Germans when they invaded Pattaya and turned Thai men into Ladyboys. Or so I'm told.

Typhoon Gay in 1989, uncommon but not impossible

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

3 hours ago, dunque said:

Isn't that an accurate description of Katrina and New Orleans?

Yip all over the world its the same. 

[off road pat]

6 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Pattaya is one big natural disaster, but if you feel so well protected camp out a rainy night in the newly constructed underpass tunnel.

Witch as I recall was guaranteed not o get flooded !!!

[Grubster]

6 hours ago, DSJPC said:

about every week I would say...coconuts falling on someone's head, kids drowning daily because no one has ever taught them how to swim , motorcycle deaths without helmets, etc....these are all natural...or did u have something else in mind???

Hey turn your lights on.

[Grubster]

1 hour ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

If my ex mate Bob is an example,twice a year.He's a <deleted> pest.He gets pissed up,wants to fight every bastard.The last time he kicked off in the Pig And whistle.All over a game of pool,dont ask me why,this is the news i get.I banned him from both the bars that i had,long ago.

He kicked off in Jomtien,at the bottom of soi 12,he broke a Thai guys hip and was arrested.It cost him 50.000 to get out of that one.He has no idea how to behave.He insists on speaking English to the Thai girls like they understand what he is saying.I moved to a different side of pattaya years ago.And <deleted> he has never found me.Now i am in the North East,well away from him.He beats up lady boys just for fun,yeah i know,you dont  <deleted> with LB's but he does and he doesnt care.He is a dangerous bastard,and the way he's going,he will have to get a bus to get a drink.Many bars,even pooks bar has banned him.

I am surprised he is still allowed in the country.There aint many people that i am wary of,but,i tell you now,if i knew he was about,i would make myself scarce.I just thank Buddha,that he has no idea where i am.My life is peaceful here,and thats the way i want it to stay.

We are here now looking to party with you, see ya soon mate.

[Grubster]

10 hours ago, Grubster said:

We are here now looking to party with you, see ya soon mate.

I ran into a guy in Udon once who was built like a brick shit house, scary. He told me that he loves to fight and can't wait to kick some ass. Maybe that was him but I didn't hang around to swap details or anything. I think he was trying to impress me. Never saw him again, thank God for small favors.

[elliss]

17 hours ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

There aren't many natural disasters most of them are man made. Bad engineering, bad planning, bad water management and arrogant corrupt civil servants. The last true natural disaster was the tsunami.

 

         Natural disaters ,  do not have a regular pattern .

[Tagaa]

 

19 hours ago, DSJPC said:

about every week I would say...coconuts falling on someone's head, kids drowning daily because no one has ever taught them how to swim , motorcycle deaths without helmets, etc....these are all natural...or did u have something else in mind???

 

The problems you mention are the result of ignorance & stupidity, not natural disasters.

 

If you compare weather disasters here to what happens in the US, they are minimal to microscopic.

 

I used to live in the Mid West as well as the South. In the mid west, you deal with severe thunderstorms, large hail (golf ball size and larger), tornadoes, ice storms, cold weather in general & snow. In the South, you still deal with severe thunderstorms, large hail, tornadoes, ice storms, freezing weather as well as snow & icy roads in the winter. In the South, you can add the remnants of hurricanes, as in torrential rain & extremely high winds and hurricane induced tornadoes. Add to that drought & floods. Now lets add in earthquakes in many areas of the country.

 

Thailand has very small tremors in the North. Can't even really call them earthquakes, comparatively speaking. We get some high winds from small, isolated, but severe thunderstorms, but nothing on par with the severe weather in the US, Canada & Europe. As far as tsunami's, pay attention to my next paragraph.

 

Comparatively speaking, Thailand is devoid of many natural disasters that plague large areas of the US. Here, as in the US, I would never buy property that was in low lying, flood prone areas. Always search for property on the high ground. So, if you get flooded out, it really is your own fault...can't blame that on Thailand....unless some moron builds a big dam down stream of you...then you can lay the blame elsewhere.

 

Natural disaster wise, Thailand is devoid of Mother Nature's rage and plagues. If I had to choose, I sleep much easier here than back in farangland.