Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department

Thailand has worryingly lost connection with two tsunami detection buoys, but the country’s tsunami warning system is still effective, insists the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM.

Indian authorities recently recovered one of the buoys in the Indian Ocean after the department lost contact with it on October 22 last year. The department is trying to recover a second buoy which floated off into the Andaman Sea, losing connection with the department on Thursday, June 9.

The buoys are going to be replaced, but not until November when weather conditions improve, said the department.

Thailand does not only depend on buoys to let them know if a tsunami is coming, but relies on data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which comes from various nations.

On Boxing Day 2004, Thailand was 1 of 14 countries hit by a 9.1 – 9.3 magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Nearly 230,000 people died as a result, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.

The tsunami devastated the coastal provinces of Phang Nga and Phuket. The 2012 film The Impossible was based on the true story of one family who were on holiday in Khao Lak, Thailand, when the tsunami struck.

SOURCE: NNT