Thailand Issues Tsunami Alert for Phuket
From Thaindian.com, published 20 February 2008:
February 20, 2008
by News Desk
National Disaster Warning Center, Thailand has issued a tsunami alert for Phuket and adjacent provinces after a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 rocked Indonesia’s Sumatra island .
The tremors were felt in certain regions of Thailand also including Phuket and Bangkok. According to some reports, Japan’s meteorological agency has informed that India’s Andaman and Nicobar island chain was also at risk.
In 2004, Indian Ocean earthquake occurred with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing more than 225,000 people in eleven countries. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were hardest hit.
In 2004, the only warning most people in the region had was the sight of a giant wave heading towards them. In order to change the scenario and put the systems in place, NDWC was inaugurated in May 30, 2005 under The Office of the Prime Minister Regulation 2005 and has been designated to receive tsunami information bulletins and warning guidance, analyze information, and disseminate warning notifications to high ranging commanders (VIPs), rescuers, communities in the tsunami prone area, and general public.
