Phuket kickstarts Tsunami Walk & Run aiming to boost evacuation awareness

Over 900 people yesterday took part in the Tsunami Walk & Run event in Mai Khao, Phuket. The initiative was undertaken to increase consciousness about tsunami evacuation routes. Boontham Lertsukekasem, the Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, was on the ground to inaugurate the Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023 event formally, kicking off proceedings at 4pm.

The planned trajectory spanned 3.2 kilometres, from the luxurious Sala Mai Khao Beach Resort to the Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) headquarters. The event organisers had arranged commemorative prizes for the first five individuals who crossed the finishing line, reported The Phuket News.

The Director-General underlined that this event marked the first occasion for such an endeavour in Thailand. Concurrently, similar Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023 occasions were held across the weekend in the provinces of Phang Nga, Ranong, Trang, and Krabi on Saturday, July 15. Phuket and Satun followed yesterday.

Amnuay Pinsuwan, the Phuket Vice Governor, spoke of the devastating loss of life that had happened in the wake of the horrifying tsunami that ravaged Thailand’s Andaman coast over 18 years earlier. Official government figures showed 5,078 confirmed fatalities, an additional 8,457 individuals sustained injuries, and 3,716 were missing, presumed dead – all victims of the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004.

Phuket’s confirmable death count stood at 259. However, around 700 individuals remained categorised as missing. Speaking at the event, the vice governor said…

“Today poses a significant chance for the residents of Phuket and local tourists to engage in worthwhile activities. Learning the evacuation route by walking and running in the event of a tsunami will immensely benefit both the public and government.”

He further emphasised the hope shared by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Phuket provincial government. Both bodies fervently hope that such endeavours will be carried out annually to cultivate alertness and readiness for a possible tsunami along the coastal provinces lining the Andaman Sea.