QUESTION
I am looking to come to Phuket on holiday and I saw the report (last month) about the earthquake off Sumatra that scared everyone that a tsunami might be heading toward to Phuket. Thank heavens that didn’t happen, but it did make me think about how I could get a tsunami alert or warning on my phone. I can’t speak or read Thai, so I have no idea where to start looking. Hopefully you can help.
– Byron Skiveuz, Canada
ANSWER
We do not have any tsunami warning services on our Tourist Buddy application. It is an interesting idea, but at this stage we have no plans to introduce this to the app.”
– Pol Col Archayon Kraithong, Deputy Commander, Phuket Tourist Police.
Our office has a tsunami-warning app in development, but we do not have an app that people can access just yet. We expect the application will be completed by the end of this year.
For now, we will warn people of any impending tsunamis by sounding the alarm on the 19 tsunami-warning emergency towers located around Phuket. Following a recent test, we discovered that five of the towers were faulty. We are fixing those now.
Our officers also distribute pamphlets explaining in different languages, including English, what to do in case of a tsunami to hotels and restaurants so that they can hand these out to their guests.
– Trakul Thotham,
Director, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation,
Region 18 office, Phuket.