Tsunami

Patong Beach in Phuket is one of the places that was devastated by the tsunami on December 26, 2004. Everyone has seen the pics on television and the internet, so we won’t go into a lot of detail there, other than to say that the bulk of the damage happened within 500 meters (half a mile or so) of the shore.

There’s no doubt that it was devastating, and there are little reminders of the potential around. Tsunami Evacuation Route signs are up like Hurricane Evacuation Route signs along the US coastlines. In this one, also note the electrical / utility wires that are present. Apparently, underground utilities aren’t the norm here. These are also much lower than in the US; many look low enough to be reached by an extension ladder.

Although one would hope it’s not an aluminum ladder!

The Thais seem to have done a better job recovering from their disaster than the US and New Orleans have from Hurricane Katrina. In fact, if you didn’t know it’d happened, you wouldn’t see anything amiss.

Unlike the vacant lots and buildings that remain in disarray around New Orleans, we couldn’t find any visible signs of the Tsunami.

The danger from repeat waves is apparently of some concern here, just as hurricanes are in the Carolinas. They occur when underwater earthquakes cause dramatic shifts in the ocean floor, creating the waves that then come far inland. The entire coastline of this part of the world lies adjacent to an extremely active fault line, and according to one newspaper article, there have in the past been earthquakes that cause miles of the ocean floor to suddenly shift as much as 10 feet.

That’s a lot of water displaced!

There’s two ways to approach this potential as a tourist.

One is to never, ever, ever go anyplace that’s even remotely unsafe. This means that you’ll be spending a lot of time at home, in bed, with the covers pulled over your head. Living entails risk (even if it’s just from drinking the water!), and if you avoid all risk you’ll never do anything.

The other is to figure that when your time is up, it’s up. Doesn’t matter if you’re in bed or on a plane or in a boat or where you are in the world. So go have a good time, create a lot of memories and learn all you can.