Is there a Thai tourist resort called Phuket at the location of the Indian Ocean tsunami?

The tsunami has passed. Although Phuket was slightly affected, everything is back to normal now and you can travel with confidence.

The following is a purely handmade tsunami summary. I hope you can travel with peace of mind after reading our analysis.

Event replay:

At 16:38 on April 11, an 8.7 earthquake occurred in the waters near Sumatra Island, Indonesia, and triggered a tsunami with a wave height of 80 cm. The earthquake was felt in Phuket. The Thai government immediately issued a tsunami warning, and Phuket Airport also announced a temporary closure. At 22:20 p.m., Thailand lifted the tsunami warning, and the airport immediately announced that it would open at 8 a.m. on the 12th. The earthquake incident was declared over, and residents and tourists in Phuket returned to normal order.

Although the incident has passed, we can summarize the impact of this incident and make a reference for such incidents in the future.

1. Indonesia has earthquakes all year round, but not every earthquake will trigger a tsunami. So don’t panic when you hear about the earthquake.

2. Even if a tsunami is triggered, it may not have a serious impact on Phuket. It depends on the location and depth of the earthquake source. Not every tsunami will cause the same disaster as in 2004.

3. After the 2004 tsunami, all countries along the Pacific coast have established effective tsunami warnings. The tsunami warning was issued more than an hour before the tsunami arrived in Phuket, giving enough time to escape.

4. After the tsunami warning, the airport announced temporary closure as a normal measure. Don't think it's something serious. The airport will open normally after the incident. The airlines will handle the affected flights appropriately.

5. Due to the sudden incident, telephone communication in Phuket was basically paralyzed (the volume of calls in and out was huge), and it was extremely difficult to make and make calls. However, the network is still open, and all information about the incident was obtained through the Internet with local colleagues. If it is not convenient to access the Internet, then activating mobile phone data is also a good choice. At least you can use QQ or WeChat (this needs to be activated in advance).

6. It is said on the Internet that local people are climbing mountains. This is a normal avoidance and not a panic. We contacted a hotel chain executive. They have ten hotels in Phuket, and staff at each hotel organize tourists to seek refuge in high places. After learning that the tsunami had passed, employees would take them down. Everything is in perfect order.

7. The actual impact of a tsunami is very short-lived, usually lasting one or two days, with no sequelae. So as long as there are no new earthquakes, this event will end and will not affect subsequent tourists. But as the hotel executive said, "The psychological impact of the tsunami will be far greater than the actual impact."

8. Flight delays, hotel reductions or one-night stay increases due to the tsunami will be The airlines and hotels handle the matter. The travel agency is an intermediary structure responsible for coordinating the situation, but does not make the final decision. The actual results of the airlines and hotels shall prevail.