Strongest tsunami in Thailand. How did the greatest tragedy of the century begin? Political situation in Thailand

There are probably more emotions in this material than useful information. But this is because I wrote it there, in Thailand. Later I will tell you about Koh Chang Island in detail, since there is practically no textual information about this place on the Internet.

They don't return from heaven

“Still, what a strange thing - an earthquake. We firmly believe that the ground under our feet is solid and durable. There is even a phrase: rest your feet on the ground.” And then one day we realize that this is not so. Solid earth and rocks become soft like jelly... Fortunately, there are no major earthquakes in Thailand." When I read these lines, mentally assenting to Murakami's hero, hundreds of people in Thailand frantically clutched at life, thousands said goodbye to it forever. Here such a strange coincidence...

At an altitude of 7 thousand meters, only one fear scratched my soul - what if the plane crashed? But everyone drove him away, caught him like a mouse in a mousetrap. The tension began to roll down in a soft wave only after palm trees flashed behind the windows of the TU-154. Thailand!

“Well, what? Where are we going? Phuket was washed away by the tsunami, Phi Phi too...” Nobody even listened to these words of our fellow countryman - the man is laughing, what can you say. We only learned the truth in Pattaya. “Fortunately, there are no major earthquakes in Thailand.” The tsunami has simply not been remembered here in the last 80 years. They say that when a huge wave, before a decisive surge, exposed the bottom of the bay, naive people rushed to collect shells, crabs, and fish. But there was still time to run to the nearest high-rise hotel and climb as high as possible...

Hovering over the TV, we forgot about our suitcases, the upcoming dinner and the planned shopping trip. On all channels there is one clear word: TSUNAMI. And footage of destruction: as if beach umbrellas, sun loungers, shopping pavilions, boats, cars were put through a giant meat grinder.

Tour operators reassured those who were about to go to Phuket: “It’s okay, the airport is already open, the authorities are taking unprecedented measures...”. And everything like that. (Later we learn that even 10 days after the tsunami, Patong remained in ruins, no one swam in the sea. As our fellow countrymen reported, there was no particular zeal to restore order. Did the

that trade. Almost all the tourists, who were in the dark, were placed where they had to. Many Kamchatka residents ended up on Karen Beach, where the traces of destruction are not as significant as on Patong. But the beach was practically not cleaned here either. Only a few went into the sea - you never know what will come up).

We made proactive calls to our relatives: “The island we are flying to is in the Gulf of Thailand, and everything happened on the Andaman coast.” Probably little consolation, but still...

Two years ago, our family vacationed in Patong - exactly where restoration work is now underway. Last winter we unsuccessfully begged a travel agency to find places on Phi Phi. Now the unsurpassed beaches and coral reefs of these islands are perceived as nothing short of reality

horror film. It's better not to think...

This year we had three options for meeting New Year's holiday: houses in Kamchatka, Phuket (most likely, it would be a hotel on Karen Beach) or Koh Chang - the island is quiet, sparsely populated and little known.

We fell for the new and unknown. The travel agency honestly warned: “It’s a long drive: three hours from Patai by bus (in fact it turned out to be four), thirty minutes by ferry and another thirty by minibus.” And they added: “But who said that the road to paradise is easy? You will definitely like it there. Palm trees are right on the shore, you don’t even need umbrellas, the hotel is new, just opened.”

Needless to say, the bungalows and other modest huts left behind for unorganized tourists could not be compared with Amari. Not a hotel, but simply an example of architectural and design art. Several three-story buildings, located in a semicircle, unite artificial

ponds with fountains and wooden bridges. In the center there is a children's "paddling pool" that smoothly turns into a jacuzzi. A few steps up and you can swim 50 meters in the largest pool, over the edges of which water flows like a perfect millimeter sheet. Lanthums, beautiful with their intricate gnarliness, from time to time drop white fragrant flowers onto green lawns. Everything is correct, nothing superfluous. Everywhere - mahogany, walnut, natural stone. Even the hangers in the wardrobe are not without grace.

I even thought that for all its stylishness, the hotel was still missing something - maybe spirit. However, not even an hour had passed before I had to regret this random thought. Slipping on the not at all slippery bathroom floor, I literally slammed into the perfect tiles of the nearest wall, hitting my head until it bled. No, the hotel still has spirit!

It was from this moment that I realized that even the color scheme of “Amari” suits my taste – everything is beige and olive. Other little things were also appreciated: for example, photographs of lotuses in black frames, which were the main decoration of our room.

But what fascinated me most was the modern Christmas tree: a two-meter cone with a brown rope and a garland of small multi-colored balls wrapped around it. Four small deer, woven from dry palm leaves and painted silver, froze in the rays of illumination. Minimalism taken to the point of absurdity.

In the evenings, when the red lanterns light up at the Amari fountains, when the music plays quietly and the knives and forks rattle steadily in the restaurant, the hotel becomes like a ghost ship. Everyone died and no one knows about it...

I don’t know if I would have dreamed this if the tsunami hadn’t happened. There is no point in guessing - now everything has changed. No matter how we try to push anxiety to the back of our minds, it still finds the cracks it knows and seeps out. On the beach you involuntarily position yourself so that the sea remains before your eyes. At night you don’t have nightmares, you sleep very well, but in the morning you think with relief: “Thank God, you’re alive.”

We have a hard time understanding those who, despite everything, still flew to

Phuket. Living there is like wearing the things of a dead person. I'm afraid that time will not change this feeling. Along with the water, the tsunami carried away the main thing that attracted us to Thailand - a sense of security. Be that as it may, in Kamchatka, where every hour you keep something related to an earthquake in your mind, you will never relax.

“Fortunately, there are no major earthquakes in Thailand.” Other disasters were not taken into account. Memory is unlikely to erase the horrific footage that was shown a few days after the tsunami: bodies are being packed in plastic, preparing for burial in a common grave, a truck loaded to the brim with corpses and severed body parts is making its way through the rubble, a father is hugging his little son to himself, barely holding back sobs. And also - blood on the sand. For thousands of people from all over the world, Thailand has remained a paradise forever. No one will recognize them and no one will find them.

Koh Chang was spared the tragedy. But it's good and quiet place I will never call it heavenly again. Because they don't return from heaven.

Irina Dronova, Koh Chang, Thailand.

In 2004, on December 26, a fire struck the islands and coast of Thailand. powerful tsunami, which claimed thousands of lives. One more try at modern history happened on April 11, 2012, although this time the tsunami did not cause such destruction... This article is not about the details of the tragedy associated with the tsunami in Thailand, but about what was done in this country as a result to ensure the continued safety of the population and tourists.

New construction rules

New houses, especially those built on the coast, are now being built in compliance with special requirements. In 2004, it was primarily low-rise buildings on the coast that suffered the damage, and they did not protect people from water impacts. Now the design, materials and placement of buildings will make it possible to withstand sea waves and, in the event of a threat, to minimize casualties and destruction.

Notification system

After the 2004 tragedy, the Thai government attracted American specialists and financed the installation of a deep-sea tsunami early detection system (the largest in the world). A loudspeaker system has been placed on the coast to warn people of approaching danger, which provides information messages in several languages.

The warning system is set to trigger a couple of hours before the expected impact. Both ways and means of evacuation were developed in order to quickly move people to a safe area, i.e. further from the sea and higher up.

This system has already shown its work in 2012. Radars detected tremors in the earth's crust near Indonesia. Sirens sounded everywhere on the beaches, vacationers and the local population were evacuated to the mountains.

On islands

Yes, it may turn out that an adventure seeker is heading from the mass resorts to the marvelous islands of Thailand with cleanest beaches. There are plenty of small islands like Phi Phi in Thailand. Of course, tsunamis in Thailand also cover the islands.

But there is somewhere to run - all the islands are rocky and with rare exceptions these rocks are much higher than 15 meters(tsunami waves are unlikely to rise higher). So we have to go to the mountains. There is also a warning system on more or less visited islands, and there are often permanent settlements there as well.

Both on the islands and on the mainland, do not forget to observe the surrounding nature. And in particular the behavior of animals and birds. If they all rushed from the sea to the mountains and rocks - think about it!

Gulf of Thailand

As for tourist places, located in the depths of the Gulf of Thailand - Pattaya, Hua Hin, Rayong, Cha Am, island, etc. - there is generally nothing to worry about. The Malacca Peninsula protects the Gulf of Thailand from tsunamis in Indian Ocean, and the coast and will extinguish the tsunami waves from the Pacific Ocean.

What to do if a tsunami occurs?

Typically, tsunamis are caused by an earthquake whose epicenter is not relatively close to the coast. If you heard messages from the warning system, felt tremors under your feet, or someone from the local community told you about an approaching tsunami, you must:

collect important documents(usually tourists have few documents and they are important - a passport), valuables;
notify your neighbors and fellow travelers about the danger and leave the danger zone yourself;
move away from the tsunami to the mountains or to an area remote from the water;
look for special signs that show the shortest tsunami evacuation route. They are often installed in areas where waves could potentially enter;
Keep in mind that the first wave of the elements is not always the strongest. Stay in safe place within a few hours, the onset of stable calm in the coastal zone.

Don't ignore the strong and sudden tide. This is also a sign of powerful waves. In this case, you should not just move quickly, but run, because the warning system either did not work or is not available in this place.

Thailand is a beautiful and friendly country with its own flavor, history and interesting sights. The main source of income for this state is travel business, so everything here is arranged for perfect holiday. World-famous Thai resorts such as Phuket, Pattaya, Phi Phi, Krabi and others receive more than a million tourists annually.

This amazing country one could confidently call it paradise on earth, if not for one thing that reminds Thais and visitors of itself from time to time. Tsunamis in Thailand are by no means a rare phenomenon, which makes travelers think about the question of whether it is worth going to the resort at all in order to risk their lives, and when arriving, to constantly be on the alert.

A tsunami appears as a result of strong earthquakes under water, the vibration moves great amount water. In the open space, the waves gain enormous speed, rushing swiftly to the shore. The most dangerous seismological zones are located near Indonesia and the Philippines. It is from there that giant waves rush towards Thailand.

It should be noted that not the entire territory of the country is susceptible to natural disasters. Therefore, those traveling in the southern part of Thailand should be more wary. Access to the Gulf of Thailand is blocked by the Indochina Peninsula, so those who go on vacation to Ko Samet, Pattaya, Ko Kood should not worry.

The tsunami in Thailand covers to a greater extent only southern resorts. Operating in the country since 2004 national center to warn the population about natural disasters. He began his work immediately after the terrible tragedy that struck the country. In 2004, the tsunami in Phuket killed more than 400 thousand people. Such a huge number of victims could have been avoided if people had been warned in advance.

Each tourist must take care of his own salvation. Since a tsunami in Thailand can occur at any time of the year, you need to keep your eyes open at all times. Cannot be completely ignored There may be announcements about the impending threat on local TV channels, newspapers or the Internet. That's why it's so important to always stay up to date.

Animals can also predict the approach of a tsunami in Thailand. They sense a threat in advance, begin to get nervous and run further into the mountains. The reaction of animals in the zoo is especially noticeable. In 2004, many people were saved thanks to the elephants they rode along the coast. The animals sensed the approaching tsunami in Thailand and ran to higher ground.

Another sure sign of an approaching natural disaster is a strong ebb of water. Perhaps, if people had paid attention to this in time, they would not have walked carelessly along the shore, but would have managed to move to a safe distance. The tsunami seems to absorb water, which is why the tide is observed, so that it can then strike with incredible force.

To save yourself from a tsunami, you must always be aware of events, listen to conversations, carefully follow the news and pay attention to warnings from local authorities. You should also look closely at natural phenomena, monitor the sea, and the habits of animals. At the slightest sign, you must immediately evacuate away from the shore to higher ground, without wasting a single minute.

The pre-New Year bustle of 2004 was overshadowed by a terrible disaster - the tsunami in Thailand, which claimed the lives of thousands of people and became the deadliest and most destructive in modern history. The cause of this tragedy was a powerful underwater earthquake that occurred on December 26 at the deep bottom of the Indian Ocean.

According to experts, the magnitude of the tremors ranged from 9.0 to 9.3 on the local Richter scale, which led to the formation of enormous waves that in a short time brought enormous and irreparable damage, troubles and suffering, deprivation and the bitterness of loss.

2004 Thailand Tsunami

The day on the West Coast and nearby islands began normally, many people were rushing to work, vacationers were basking on the beaches in the morning sun, and no one could even think about the impending mortal threat. Before the terrible tsunami in Thailand in 2004, this phenomenon was extremely rare in these parts, which is probably why extreme carelessness and ignorance played a fatal role in this tragedy.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located near the island of Sumatra; at 7:58 a.m. local time, two tectonic plates – Indian and Burmese – collided, resulting in a displacement of one of them by 18 meters.

A sharp change in the position of the 1200-kilometer platform caused a huge drop in the huge volume of water masses. In just a few minutes, there was a critical rise in the water level to the western part of the plate fault, which led to tragic consequences and caused the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.

Catastrophe

Despite the powerful underwater tremors, the earthquake was practically not felt on land. Only an hour later the first signs of trouble began to appear: birds flew away screaming, animals hid and also strove away from the shore, the sound of the surf began to subside, and the water began to quickly recede from the beaches, revealing the seabed.

Instead of being wary, many vacationers rushed to the liberated areas to replenish their collections of shells and collect fish. No one even noticed the high wave that appeared on the horizon, since, without a white cap, it was practically invisible against the background of the sea surface.

A tsunami generated by vertical shocks of the ocean floor has one peculiarity. Passing through deep-sea areas, this wave looks like harmless small tubercles, which at the same time rush at very high speed. Approaching the shore, it begins to slow down sharply, forming a huge wall of water with powerful energy potential.

1100 km continental plate has moved forward by as much as 18 meters

A similar tsunami occurred in Phuket in 2004 and on the coast of Thailand. With a wild howl and growl of a wounded predator, thousands of tons of water suddenly fell on the coastal land and rushed with crazy speed to destroy and break everything in their path.

The energy of the water was so great that in some places the ocean deepened into the land up to several kilometers. In Patong, at the moment of impact of a relatively “small” wave of 3-5 meters, a speed of about 500 km per hour was recorded.

When the forces of the elements were exhausted, the water stopped, but after a short period of time, with no less swiftness, it rushed back. And now, for those who escaped, except the mad ones water flows, the danger was everything that the wave carried back to the sea. Trees, pieces of metal structures, concrete, vehicles, furniture - all of these presented deadly traps for the few survivors.

Today on the Internet you can find eyewitness videos about the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, the footage of which shows all the horror and hopelessness of the rampant natural disaster.

Consequences

After the deadly wave subsided, a sad and depressing picture appeared before the eyes of the survivors. It seemed that nuclear military tests had taken place on the site of the recently prosperous resort, which wiped out almost all buildings near the shore from the face of the earth. Large coastal hotels were dilapidated skeletons of iron structures, furniture and interior items turned into heaps of small splinters. The streets were filled with piles of rubbish made up of wood and concrete debris, broken glass, mangled vehicles, poles with downed wires and, worst of all, human and animal bodies.

Shock and horror did not allow the survivors to come to their senses, comprehend the disaster that had happened, and leave after the first water left. scary place. Perhaps then there would have been fewer victims, since the rogue wave returned two more times. As a result of this triple blow, the death toll from the tsunami in Thailand alone numbered in the tens of thousands, and in all of Indonesia in the hundreds.

Mitigation measures

When the water finally receded, local authorities quickly joined the fight to eliminate the destructive effects of the tsunami. Special camps were quickly organized for victims of the disaster, where psychological and material assistance, drinking water and food were provided. Hundreds of mobilized military personnel, volunteers and local police kept order, helped search for survivors and clear away the rubble.

The hot climate and destroyed sewage system could provoke outbreaks of various infections, so the first priority was to locate the dead, possible identification and burial. Many countries contributed to solving this problem by sending everything necessary to eliminate the consequences: people, equipment, materials and humanitarian aid.

Thailand recovered relatively quickly and recovered from the devastating disaster. It has now joined an international system designed to detect deadly waves early and mitigate their effects in the Indian Ocean. It was successfully tested during a tsunami threat in 2012, then all warning systems were activated and a complete evacuation of tourists and the population was carried out.

Now tourism in Thailand is thriving, tourists from all over the world, forgetting about fears of a tsunami, go on vacation to this amazing country; only posters with rules of behavior in case of natural disasters remind of the 2004 tragedy.

This year will be 15 years since the tragedy that occurred on December 26. 230,000 dead in fourteen countries, one of the deadliest natural disasters ever to occur.
The 2004 Thailand tsunami will never be forgotten, but there is so much misrepresentation and fiction surrounding this tragedy that it is worth sorting out what is true and what is an outright lie. How many people died and why did the tsunami occur in Thailand? Could this happen again? How dangerous is it to go on holiday to Thailand?

What caused the 2004 Thailand tsunami?

The 20014 tsunami in Thailand was indeed caused by the largest and deadliest earthquake in history.
The power of the earthquake was estimated at 9.3 on the Richter scale. The cause of the earthquake, which caused a tsunami in several countries, was the collision of two tectonic plates: the Burmese and Indian plates off the coast of Sumatra.
The underwater-mega-prospective-earthquake caused the rupture of plates and the emergence of waves as high as a 5-10 storey building.

Was it possible to predict it? It is possible, but in those parts there was no warning equipment yet and it is quite possible to assume that the number of deaths if the rules were followed could be reduced several times.

Tectonic plates have been resting against each other for many years and one should have passed over the other, but instead it moved head-on and a plate shift of 19 meters occurred, which caused a fault and the displacement of millions of tons of water, which caused the tsunami.

Tsunami of “Christmas gifts”

“Tsunami at Christmas” is how the public called the tragedy that happened exactly on the Catholic Christmas holidays.

Within a few hours from the start of the earthquake, a series of waves up to 30 meters high caused a tsunami, which seriously affected residents of 7 countries: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand.

Death toll from the 2004 tsunami:

India - 730,000 people
Indonesia - 572,926 people
Sri Lanka - 516,150 people
Maldives - 11,231 people
Malaysia - 8,000 people
Thailand - 8000 people
Myanmar - 3200 people

And this is not counting the people who are still listed as missing. Due to the fact that the dead spent a long time in the water, many simply could not be identified.

In the scientific community, the event that we know as the tsunami in Thailand was called the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake.

Tsunami in Thailand 2004 - how it happened

December 26, 2004 in Thailand began as an ordinary morning. Some were in a hurry to go to work, others were going to the beach, there were no signs of trouble. According to eyewitnesses of that day, at about 7 a.m. people felt tremors, and it became clear that an earthquake had occurred. But since it was short-lived, no one paid much attention to it.

The most powerful waves in history took about two hours to reach the shores of Thailand and hit the country's west coast.

The first were the Similan Islands. Famous place for diving, where divers from all over the world gather. Eyewitness divers were the first to know about the tsunami, because at depth the waves behaved in such a way that the person was as if inside a huge washing centrifuge.

The island of Khao Lak took the biggest hit. It suffered the largest wave impact, which literally swept away all the bungalows and hotels standing on the shore. Due to the topography of the seabed, coastline and coastal reefs, the tsunami waves depicted the infamous "disappearing sea effect" that lured many tourists to their deaths.

The tsunami looked like this: the water suddenly went far into the depths and exposed the seabed. Many tourists ran to look at the fish, sea creatures and collect strange shells.
By the time the waves became visible, it was already too late. There were only 1-3 minutes left before they fell; it was impossible to escape.

Among those killed on Khao Lak was the grandson of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadette, which once again confirms the fact that even the Thai authorities were not aware of the impending tragedy. Hundreds of people were simply washed out to sea, and then thrown onto nearby houses, hotels, and barriers with a powerful blow.

Photos and videos of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand

Video dedicated to the tsunami in Thailand 2004

Photos of eyewitnesses of the tsunami in Thailand:

People flee as a tsunami wave hits the shore of Koh Raya island, part of Thailand's Andaman Islands, 23 kilometers from the island of Phuket, in the south of Thailand, December 26, 2004. The photographer who took this photo escaped without injury, but fell back into the first wave and watched as the second wave tore through wooden buildings while the third and largest wave came forward and "teared apart cement buildings as if they were made of balsa wood."

On December 26, 2004, waves hit Maddampegham, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Tsunami waves caused by earthquakes hit villages along Sri Lanka's wide coastline, killing more than 35,300 people

Aerial view of Marina Beach after the tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake struck southern part Indian city of Madras December 26, 2004

File photo taken on January 5, 2005 in the devastated area of Banda Aceh in Aceh Province, located on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia after the powerful tsunami on December 26, 2004

Thailand Tsunami 2004 in Phuket

Contrary to popular rumors, Phuket was the least affected of all the provinces in Thailand. Less destruction, fewer deaths. There were seaside villages in Thailand where 80% of the inhabitants died, but Phuket was not one of them.

About 250 people, according to official data, died from the tsunami in Phuket, including foreign tourists. Of course there were many more casualties. Many received lacerated wounds filled with dirt and branches. Residents suffered from a lack of water, medicine and timely medical assistance.

Approximately east of Phuket, 80 km, the consequences were much more serious: 3,950 deaths were confirmed, and on Khao Lak more than 4,500. This is due to the fact that, unlike high-altitude Phuket, resort Khao There are almost no hills where one could hide from the elements.

Why didn’t many people have time to evacuate?

The fact is that a tsunami of this magnitude has not happened in Thailand in modern history. 30-meter waves that came ashore at speeds of up to 1000 km/h merged with the horizon and were simply not visible, since they had no white crest.

People simply did not understand what happened, and only a few managed to escape during the wave’s impact.

There were several wave impacts, and enormous damage was caused by the low tide, which dragged everything into the sea: concrete structures, reinforcement, cars and houses. All this mixed together created a mortal threat to people caught in this mess.

The waves that caused the most damage were slow, steep and dense. It's because the sea is all around west coast Thailand is relatively shallow, which significantly slowed down the waves.

The tsunami hit six provinces of Thailand. The final death toll was 5,395, of whom 1,953 were considered foreigners. Another 2,929 people were listed as missing. An estimated 2,000 people were killed in the fishing village of Ban Nam Khem. The village lost half of its inhabitants.

Thailand was in the middle tourist season. There were hundreds of thousands of foreigners in the country. The hotels were filled with foreigners. In many places the sea retreated a great distance before the most big waves. When the water came out, many thought it had something to do with the moon.

Bill O'Leary, an employee at the Amanuri resort, knew this was a sign of a tsunami. He is credited with saving dozens of lives by warning people to flee inland before the waves arrived. But others were killed because they had no idea what was happening.

Here's what the New York Times reported in those days: "Once crowded beach resorts littered with bodies. Near the devastated beach and spa resort of Similan, where mostly German tourists stayed, a naked corpse is suspended from a tree, as if crucified."

Many coral reefs were destroyed by the tsunami. Powerful waves hit hundreds of sea reefs. Tsunami debris littered natural areas. The green turtle washed up nearly a mile offshore and deposited in a pond north of Phuket. Some people in boats rescued survivors thrown out to sea.

What happened after?

In Thailand, the entire country came to the aid of the victims by clearing away garbage, evacuating those left homeless and helping the wounded.

Royal elephants were brought in to clear large debris, 6 of which starred in the Hollywood film “Alexander.”
Interesting fact— an elephant during a tsunami saved the life of a girl who was riding on it on the shore. The animal sensed danger and rushed towards the mountains, which saved the tourist’s life.

There was also some looting.

Inhumans (they cannot be called otherwise), taking advantage of the general panic and confusion, stole children who were disoriented and could not find loved ones. There are known facts of the sale of babies abroad and the recruitment of children into sexual slavery.

They stole houses, inns, hotels and whatever else they could steal using the opportunity. Unfortunately, tragedy not only unites, but also divides people. “Nobody’s” property makes your head go crazy.

Consequences of the tsunami in Thailand

The consequences of the tsunami were simply catastrophic not only for Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Malaysia, but also for Thailand.

Tourists abandoned their things and took off on the first flight, trust in Thai resorts was completely undermined, and given that the tsunami happened at the height of the tourist season, in December, Thailand suffered billions in losses.

It took years to restore trust and many actions to bring tourists back to the islands.

The first thing the authorities did was install the most powerful deep-sea tsunami warning system. The siren begins to howl and notify about the approach of waves 1-2 hours before the incident. It was already tested on April 11, 2012, when in just an hour it was possible to evacuate absolutely all the residents of Phuket to the mountains.
Residents of smaller islands such as Phi Phi also have nothing to worry about. And there everything is prepared for evacuation, fortunately the mountains are of such a size that no waves are scary.

Thousands of Thais dependent on tourism-related industries have lost their jobs not only in the south but also in the poorest part of Thailand, Isan in the northeast, where many tourism industry workers come from.

By January 12, some of the affected resorts in the south had reopened and the Thai government began a promotional campaign to bring tourists back to the area as soon as possible, although everyone knew it would be quite some time before Thailand was back to normal. (it took almost 5 years).

Damage and losses from the 2004 tsunami in Thailand

The fishing industry suffered from extensive destruction of fishing vessels and gear that individual fishing families could not afford to replace, especially since many also lost their homes.
According to information, more than 500 fishing vessels and ten trawlers were destroyed, as well as many piers and fish processing plants. Again, grants or loans from the government were needed to allow industry to retool itself.
Ridiculous losses

Another problem was the public aversion in Thailand to eating locally caught fish, due to fears that the fish were eating human corpses that were thrown into the sea by the tsunami.
The Thais found this possibility offensive for both health and religious reasons.
Distributors of fish products refused to buy fish and crustaceans in ports Andaman Sea and preferred to buy from Gulf of Thailand ports or even Malaysia or Vietnam so that they could reassure consumers that there was no likelihood of such pollution.
As a result, even those fishing families who could catch fish were unable to sell their catch.
It became easier after CEO World Health Organization Dr. Lee Jong-wook appeared on Thai television to say that he eats fish every day.

About a month after the tsunami, the Thai Cabinet approved a $1.79 billion tsunami relief bill.

Most of the money was in the form of soft loans to rebuild the business. Some of the money was in the form of grants to people who lost relatives and property in the disaster.

Could Thailand experience another tsunami?

Maybe. The countries closest to Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Malaysia, are shaking almost constantly.

Modern warning systems will prevent deaths and casualties, as people will be evacuated in time. But! If, in principle, you are not keen on the idea of relaxing on a coastline with high seismic activity, then you should choose resorts located in the Gulf of Thailand, for example: Pattaya, Rayong, Samet Island, Hua Hin, Cha Am or Koh Larn Island.
They are protected from tsunamis by the Malacca Peninsula and Vietnam and Cambodia.
The maximum that can happen here is the Mekong or Chao Phraya River overflowing its banks, which does not pose a mortal danger.

How to act during a natural disaster?

1 - Collect all necessary things, documents, drinking water, keep children nearby

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3 - do not go down until the cataclysm has completely passed, since the first wave is not always the strongest

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