The 26 December tsunami was the worst natural disaster to ever strike Thailand, causing loss of life as well as major damage to property, the environment and the economy. The severe impact on the natural environment in turn had serious consequences on the fishing and tourism industries and, therefore, thousands of families' livelihoods.

  Sunday 26 December 2004 (timings given for Khao Lak, Baan Nam Khem village)

  07.58 Earthquake off west coast of Sumatra measured over 9 on the Richter Scale

  09.35 Sea receded to 100 metres from the Andaman coast for about 5 minutes
 

  09.38 Large wave strikes, 2-3 metres high
 

  09.43 First tsunami strikes - 6-7 metres high
 

  10.03 Second tsunami strikes - 10 metres high
 

  10.20 Third tsunami strikes, 5 metres high: causes hour long inundation
 

  12.00 Sea level returns to normal

              Source: Department for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of Interior, Thailand

(Figures as of 07 September 2005)

Recovery Issues

Once the emergency response phase was felt to be largely over, and the transition to longer term rehabilitation began, in April 2005 the Royal Thai Government reassigned responsibility for recovery coordination to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA).

At a TICA workshop on technical coordination on May 4, participants agreed that Government-led coordination of post-tsunami efforts in all sectors would lead to the most sustainable and successful recovery in Thailand. With the Government now working on longer term rehabilitation and recovery in four key areas, the United Nations Country Team is implementing programmes supporting: social protection, livelihood recovery, environmental rehabilitation and disaster preparedness.

Over 38 million USD of technical assistance has been committed to projects with a mid- to long-term perspective, to be implemented and completed in 2006

Close collaboration with Thai Government and other organizations through partnership, also on lessons learned workshops and donor coordination, for example

Lessons Learned                                                                                          

Several months after the tsunami disaster, and with Thailand well on the path to recovery, national lessons learned and best practices workshops were organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) during May and June in Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand with the participation of key actors involved in the tsunami-related relief effort.

The overall purpose of the exercise was to bring together key actors to benefit collectively from ongoing reflection on disaster response preparedness and management systems in the tsunami-affected countries. It also capitalized on the momentum and insights gained from recent experience; and took advantage of current interest in and commitment to strengthening preparedness systems and procedures.

At the Thailand event in Bangkok, the UN Resident Coordinator, Joana Merlin-Scholtes, addressed the participants, including senior Government officials and representatives of the Armed Forces and NGOs, and said that it was time to take stock of lessons learned with regard to disaster preparedness as well as of collective reaction and response to the disaster. She pointed out that 'while a tsunami on such a scale is a relatively rare event, Indian Ocean countries and their neighbours in the region are nevertheless prone to a wide range of natural and other hazards that have significant adverse potential'.

Key outcomes                                                                                              

General Strengths
Thai legal and institutional framework

No ad hoc structures created

Robust involvement of line ministries and armed forces

Best Practices
Effective provision of emergency health care

Swift environmental response

Early recovery efforts

Effective engagement of civil society and the private sector

Action on lessons learned

Areas for Improvement
Need for national preparedness plan

Improved utilization of resources in emergencies

Managing contributions

Protection of vulnerable groups

Involvement of affected communities

Coordination of staff deployments

Coordination among international actors

Needs assessments

Need to strengthen response capacity

Public awareness

 

Regional Lessons

The final workshop in the regional tsunami lessons learned and best practices exercise was held in Medan on 13-14 June 2005. It brought together Government, UN and NGO participants from Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, in addition to a number of representatives of neighbouring countries and regional organizations, to share experiences, the outcomes of the national workshops, and identify recommendations that would help improve natural disaster preparedness and response capacity in the region.

Agreed recommendations from Medan include specific actions in the following general areas:

(a) strengthening institutional and legal frameworks;

(b) updating national disaster management plans;

(c) enhancing coordination and information sharing;

(d) cooperating regionally on establishing multi-hazard early warning systems;

(e) promoting risk awareness and emergency preparedness; and

(f) cooperating at the regional level, including on improving stand-by arrangements and capacity for rapid delivery of assistance.

Another significant benefit of this exercise was the advance in consensus building on the urgency of reducing disaster risk, particularly through improved disaster preparedness.

Related info

Earthquake/Tsunami Victims Relief Efforts. Department of Disaster Prevention and           Mitigation, Ministry of Interior, Thailand (221Kb)