Now Thailand is associated all over the world not only with beautiful and popular resorts, where people from different countries are in a hurry to go on vacation, but also with the terrible tragedy that occurred here at the beginning of the 21st century. This state is heavily affected by the disaster. The earthquake that caused the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 took about 8.5 thousand lives in Thailand alone. In general, this natural disaster has become destructive for 18 countries of the world.
Tremors
On the morning of December 26, a powerful earthquake occurred near the northwest coast of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). Its magnitude, as scientists later estimated, was at least 9 points. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in the entire history of observations.
Proof of its strength can be the fact that the Burmese and Indian tectonic plates, which are connected exactly at the location of the island of Sumatra, have moved a great distance. About 1,200 km of rocks shifted almost overnight by 15 m, and with it a whole series of islands located next to this region. It was the shift of tectonic plates that set in motion the huge strata of water, which turned into the largest tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Element of surprise
By tragic accident, this particular popular and foreign tourist resort island of Phuket was completely unprotected before the disaster. The fact is that the tremors, although they occurred not far from the coast, were not felt either by Thais or tourists. But those who still felt something did not attach any significance to this.
What happened almost immediately after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami earthquake was a complete surprise. Huge waves approached the western coast of Thailand so quickly that signals from such other countries had not yet arrived. The authorities of this state have never encountered a tsunami of such power. Therefore, it is not surprising that no system of protection against the elements simply did not exist. People absolutely did not know what to do in such a situation.
Shortly before the tragedy
No one expected that a massive natural disaster like the Indian Ocean tsunami could occur. December 2004 was successful. Especially the end of the month, as foreign tourists who want to celebrate New Year in an exotic country usually flock here. But the expectation of a holiday for many people turned into a real nightmare.
The weather was beautiful that morning, and everyone went about their business. Thais gathered for work, and tourists relaxed in comfortable hotel rooms or on the beach. And it seemed that nothing portends trouble. But then suddenly an unusual sight appeared before the eyes of people. It was a truly colossal ebb. At the same time, water in an instant rolled away from the coast, leaving behind a trace of shells, fish and other marine life.
Local residents rejoiced at such an easy catch, and tourists tried to collect free souvenirs for themselves. Some of them decided to just look at this unusual natural phenomenon, so many of them brought along video cameras and cameras.
Paradise turned into hell
At this moment, no one could predict that the worst natural disaster was coming . The 2004 tsunami drove to the shore in the form of ordinary waves, which in shallow water began to rapidly turn into huge ramparts, reaching 20 m in height. This happened so quickly that there was absolutely no time for salvation. People tried to escape from the elements, but, overtaken by a wall of water, simply disappeared into it.
Most of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami casualties in Thailand came from those close to the coast. Of the 8.5 thousand people, 5.4 thousand are tourists who came here from more than 40 countries of the world. The force of the tsunami was so huge that the waves went deep into the land for several hundred meters, and in some places even at a distance of 2 km.
Light houses were swept away like cards. The buildings of the capital hotels survived, but the windows in them instantly flew out, and the people who were on the lower floors had practically no chance to survive. When the wave arose, the earth was exposed, everywhere covered with bodies of people, uprooted trees and flattened iron structures.
Needless to say, those few who were lucky enough to survive after the first blow of the elements had a shock state that did not allow us to fully comprehend everything that was happening and leave the dangerous place. But this did not end there. The wave returned 2 more times.
Security
After an earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 caused an unprecedented tsunami and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, many still do not think about rest in Thailand. But in vain! Leaflets that offer tourists a vacation on the beautiful beaches of the Thai coast, among other things, promise peace and security. And I must say that they are very close to the truth. The fact is that the tourist season here takes place only in the dry season, when there is practically no rain. Therefore, the risk of flooding is reduced to almost zero.
As for volcanoes, there are only two of them, and even those are considered as sleeping. This means that in history there is no documented fact that testifies to their eruptions. Earthquakes in these places are also unlikely, because Thailand is located in a seismically calm region of our planet.
Tsunami
As you know, underwater earthquakes from time to time happen at the bottom of the oceans. One of them provoked huge tsunamis in the Indian Ocean in 2004, which hit the west coast of Thailand. But this in no way means that this will happen too often.
The probability of a tsunami on the Thai coast is negligible. Judge for yourself: the northern part of the country is protected by the continent of Eurasia, from the south it borders on Malaysia, and the eastern one is covered by the Indochina peninsula. The west coast remains. Only from this side can tsunami danger come. When the next earthquake occurs, it is almost impossible to determine, but it can be said with confidence that this will happen very soon.
Alert
After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake caused a powerful tsunami, Thailand entered the International Deep Sea System. It was created with the aim of early detection and warning in cases of approaching the elements. System sensors are now installed along the west coast of Thailand. Thanks to them, local residents and tourists will be warned about the approach of the tsunami and will be able to leave dangerous areas in time.
The system provides for several languages, this is due to the fact that foreigners began to return to Thailand. As you know, the tourism business in this country is almost the most important source of the infusion of currency into the national economy. That is why all reserves were thrown at quickly overcoming the devastating effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
10 years later
But this tragedy affected not only Thailand. A huge wave covered the coast of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and another 14 countries that make up the Indian Ocean ring. Scientists have calculated that the total power of the elements exceeded the energy of all military shells that exploded during the entire Second World War, plus two atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese islands - this is the tsunami force in the Indian Ocean. Ten years later, the exact number of victims was not established. Too many bodies carried giant waves with them. The UN has published a figure of 230 thousand people, but we will never know the truth. The scale of destruction is simply colossal: 1.6 million people lost their homes, and losses exceeded $ 15 billion.