Catastrophic flood in Thailand. tsunami in thailand

Strongest hit Thailand flood over the past 50 years (according to the UN). Recently, several large typhoons have passed through the northern part of the country, accompanied by heavy rainfall, which has led to the overflow of large rivers.

The element claimed the lives of more than 300 people, left about 2.5 million people without a roof over their heads. But the situation is further complicated by the fact that the number of infectious diseases is growing, as people do not have enough clean drinking water and food. But the authorities are doing everything possible to provide the victims with everything they need and hold back the prices of food and essentials. They are fighting against the elements and the air forces are ready to help people cut off by water from land.

But, despite all the efforts of the government, the shelves in the stores are empty (this can be observed not only in Bangkok, but even in, which the flood did not affect). Drinking water, some products - this is the main thing that people are trying to buy. The government promised 7 years in prison to all speculators who raise food prices. But even after such warnings, in places of flooding, sandbags are already being sold for 50 baht, instead of the usual 20.

It hit 26 northern, northeastern and central provinces, including the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, especially the situation is complicated by the high water level in the Chao Phraya River (Chao Phraya). But embankments and dams are reinforced with sandbags (over 1.7 million bags) so that water does not go beyond the river. Thus, the authorities are trying to get the water to go into the sea. In addition, hundreds of boats with running engines are sent into the rivers to speed up the flow of water.

His Majesty is in the hospital, but expresses deep concern for his people and gives instructions on how to divert water.

According to preliminary data, the damage from this natural disaster will be over 3 billion dollars.

To date flood in thailand begins to subside, and the government gives orders to eliminate the consequences of the flood.

And finally, a video of the flood in Thailand:

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In the history of mankind, December 26, 2004 was marked by a tragedy of enormous proportions, which brought a lot of suffering to a huge number of people. At 00:58 UTC (07:58 am local time) in the depths of the Indian Ocean, near the Indonesian island of Simeulue, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 occurred. It gave rise to a whole series of killer waves, which within a few hours brought monstrous destruction to the shores of Asia, killing about 300 thousand people. Thailand was among the countries hit by the disaster.

Start

On the most ordinary December morning, powerful tremors of the seabed led to the displacement of huge masses of water in the ocean. In the open sea, it looked like low, but water semicircles stretching for thousands of kilometers, with incredible speed (up to 1000 km / h) rushing to the shores of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and even African Somalia. As the waves approached shallow water, they slowed down, but in some places they acquired monstrous dimensions - up to 40 meters in height. Like frenzied chimeras, they carried in themselves an energy twice the energy of all the explosions of the Second World War with the nuclear bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, inclusive.

At this time, residents and guests of the western coast of Thailand (Phuket, Krabi province and the small islands adjacent to them) began the most ordinary day. Someone was in a hurry to work, someone else was basking in a soft bed, and someone had already decided to enjoy the sea. The tremors were almost imperceptible, so no one, absolutely no one, suspected the impending mortal danger.

About an hour after the earthquake, strange phenomena began to appear in the sea, on land: animals and birds ran away in anxiety, the sound of the surf ceased, and the water in the sea abruptly left the shore. Intrigued people began to go to shallow areas of the seabed to collect exposed shells and fish.

No one saw the impending 15-meter wall from the water, since it did not have a white crest, and for a long time visually merged with the sea surface. By the time they spotted her, it was already too late. Like an angry lion, with a roar and howl, the sea fell on land. With great speed, it carried streams of enraged water, crushing, tearing and grinding everything in its path.

The ocean went inland for hundreds of meters, and in some places - up to two kilometers. When his strength was exhausted, the movement of water stopped, but only to rush back with the same speed. And woe to those who did not have time to hide. At the same time, the danger was not so much the water itself, but what it carried. Huge chunks of soil, concrete and rebar, broken furniture, cars, advertising signs, severed high-voltage cables - all this threatened to kill, flatten and cripple anyone who was in a furious stream.

Video

When the water went

After everything was over, a truly horrific picture appeared before the eyes of the survivors. It seemed that evil giants were playing terrible games here, moving huge objects and leaving them in the most unexpected places: a car in the hotel lobby, a tree trunk in a window or pool, a boat on the roof of a house, a hundred meters from the sea ... Buildings that once stood on the shore, were almost completely destroyed. The streets have turned into a hellish mess of furniture fragments, mangled and overturned cars, glass fragments, broken wires and, worst of all, the bodies of dead people and animals.

Tsunami relief

Measures to eliminate the consequences of the tsunami began to be taken immediately after the water receded. All the military and police were mobilized, camps were organized for the victims with access to clean water, food and a place to rest. Due to the hot climate, the danger of outbreaks of infections associated with contamination of air and drinking water increased every hour, so the government and the local population faced a tough task: to find all the dead as soon as possible, identify them if possible and properly bury them. To do this, it was necessary to clear the rubble all day long, not knowing sleep and rest. The governments of many countries of the world sent human and material resources to help the Thai people.

The total death toll on the shores of Thailand has reached 8,500 people, 5,400 of whom were citizens of more than forty countries, a third of them were children. Later, after the governments of the affected states were able to assess the total damage, the 2004 tsunami was recognized as the deadliest of all previously known.

The earthquake that raised giant waves was so strong that it pierced through our planet, causing soil vibrations of up to 3 mm in the United States. At the same time, such a mass of energy was released that the Earth changed its rotation, reducing the duration of the day by 2.6 microseconds. Some small islands near Sumatra have moved southwest to a distance of up to 20 meters.

Years after the tragedy

Next year will mark 10 years since the tragedy that claimed more than 300,000 lives and brought grief and despair to even more people around the world. During this time, Thailand was able to recover and fully restore the affected areas. Already a year after the disaster, the issue of providing housing for those who lost their roof over their heads was resolved.

New houses, especially on the coast, are now being built according to special requirements. Their design, materials and location will make it possible to withstand the elements of the sea and, in the event of a threat, to reduce casualties and destruction to a minimum.

But most importantly, Thailand has joined the international system of deep-sea tracking of the movement of masses of water in the ocean, with which you can predict the arrival of a tsunami in advance. On the islands and cities where there is a possibility of giant waves, warning and evacuation systems have been created. Extensive educational work has been carried out to familiarize people with the rules of conduct in the event of a natural disaster.

On July 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, southwest Alaska, a massive earthquake triggered a giant landslide. Three hundred million cubic meters of soil, rock and ice then crashed into the sea, raising a record high wave in the history of tsunami observations. A wall of water 524 meters high moved at a speed of 160 km / h, covering the sky and the sun, and collapsed on the island of Cenotaphia, giving rise to several more giant waves in the bay.

Today, the general phobia of a possible tsunami in Thailand has practically disappeared. Tourists with redoubled enthusiasm rush to the shores of the kingdom and travel with pleasure through this amazing country. The coast now looks more beautiful than it used to be, and only signs with rules of conduct in case of danger remind of the tragedy of 2004. But this is only outwardly. A huge number of broken human destinies were left behind by the elements. People will keep memories of the fear experienced for a long time and mourn for those who cannot be returned.

Tsunamis in Thailand may occur due to the fact that the country is located near a zone of seismic activity. Earthquakes deep in the Indian Ocean can reach the country in the form of a tsunami. After the tragic events of 2004, when the raging water element off the coast of Asia claimed more than three hundred thousand civilian lives, a special national seismological service closely monitors the seismic state in the ocean and keeps reports.

The impending tsunami hit Thailand in 2004

In case of detection of excessive seismic activity, the people of Thailand will be warned in advance. If a tourist is going to go on vacation to Thailand, then he needs to know what a tsunami is and what consequences they can bring.

The tsunami in Thailand in 2004 began with the fact that on December 26 at 8 am local time, a strong earthquake appeared at the depths of the Indian Ocean, with a power of 9-10.5 on the Richter scale. After the start of the first seismic activity, huge waves demolished many residential buildings in a couple of hours. The people of Asia, and especially those of Thailand, suffered huge losses.

On that day, residents and visitors of Thailand, without suspecting anything, went about their business: someone went to work, and someone came to the beach in the morning. The tsunami began with tremors that no one felt, so panic was created only when the first waves off the coast of Phuket, reaching a height of about 40 meters, began to demolish everything in their path: houses, trees; flooding residential areas.

The first thing that residents noticed after the tremors was that animals and birds began to spread panic and hide wherever possible. Further, by about 9 am, the water near the coast receded in a strange way, and people began to collect shells on the shallow areas of the water surface. The first shock wave, foreshadowing the tsunami, was about 15 meters high and was noticed too late. There was no white crest on it, and for a long time it was invisible against the background of the sea surface.

The shock wave swept hundreds of meters, or even several kilometers forward overland, demolishing everything that can be demolished: concrete buildings, signs, shops, trees. With the same force, capturing everything carried back with it, the wave was eliminated back towards the ocean. So the flood in Thailand claimed the lives of people, killing with shock waves.

Aftermath of the tsunami in Thailand in 2004

Immediately after the cessation of the shock wave series, the government instructed the immediate task of the rescue services to comb the territory of Thailand to find the dead and injured. In a hot climate, infections spread at lightning speed, so the dead needed to be urgently found and buried. The state suffered greatly from loss and devastation, so many countries provided material assistance to Thailand. According to statistics, 8.5 thousand people died from a natural disaster in the former Siam. Of these, 5.5 thousand are tourists from more than 40 countries of the world, and a third of them were minors. When the Thai authorities calculated the damage caused by the 2004 flood, the catastrophe caused by the earthquake was recognized as the most destructive and deadly of all that have ever been.

Reminder to the vacationer

Although a large-scale tsunami has not been observed in Thailand since 2004 to this day, a cautious traveler can really worry about the safety of his stay in Thailand. Therefore, you need to remember a few important points in case such a situation arises.

The Indochinese peninsula overlaps the territory of the Gulf of Thailand, so tourists traveling to cities such as Pattaya, Koh Samet, Koh Chang and Koh Kood need to worry less than tourists who are vacationing in Phi Phi or Phuket.

Earlier it was reported that after the tragic events, when the flood in Thailand claimed thousands of lives, a center was installed to detect the slightest seismic activity. If the seismological service notices even slight fluctuations, then it is their responsibility to report this to the authorities, and then the media will spread information about the approaching cataclysm on all radio and television channels.

So thrifty tourists should listen to the news of the day on the radio and read local newspapers every day in Thailand, and it also does not hurt to view Internet news online in parallel. Especially if travelers are vacationing in the southern part of the former kingdom of Siam.

The main signs of an impending flood:

Something strange is happening with the water near the coast - a rapid ebb begins at such lightning speed that the fish and other inhabitants of the seabed do not have time to swim for water, and remain on the sand.
Animals that live on land begin to panic: they run away from their houses to hills or hide in other secluded places.

What should be done in case of a threat of a sea cataclysm?

On the territory of beach areas there are often signs with a guide to the highest point or to the places of evacuation.
After the end of the earthquake and before the start of a natural disaster, there is always a time interval, which sometimes lasts several hours, during which time you can take a transport and leave the city as far away as possible.
It is advisable to contact the rescue service and follow all the instructions they provide online.
You can’t breed panic and lose self-control - you need to calmly reason and act according to safety rules.

The history of the 2004 flood in cinematography

The tsunami in Thailand left a huge mark on the history of mankind. In particular, there is a film that tells about the past events of 2004 in Thailand. The film is called Impossible. The story tells how the family of a certain Maria Belon survived the 2004 disaster and survived. The film was created based on real events. Maria Belen is a living person, she really was present during the disaster, but while escaping, she lost part of her leg. Now Maria works as a lawyer (she is a doctor by profession) and protects people affected by the tsunami in Thailand.

Disaster movie "Impossible"

The Impossible is a 2012 film directed by a Spanish director. A participant in real events herself chose the actress for the main role, who successfully played it and received an Oscar for best acting. Also, Maria Belen Alvarez took an active part in the work on the script, along with screenwriter Sergio Sanchez.

The plot of the picture: a family of five people (father, mother and three boys) come to rest in Thailand, and one terrible day, the tsunami takes them all by surprise: a man with two children swims, and mother and eldest son sit on the shore.

A powerful stream of water of great height covers the whole family headlong, and they are forced to save themselves. Water sweeps away everything in its path, Maria, making titanic efforts, emerges from the water and grabs the branch of a tree. Meanwhile, she notices that her eldest son is being carried away by the current, and the woman heroically throws herself into the pool of water to try to save her child. The story ends well - the father of the family with two younger children finds the mother with the eldest son in one of the hospitals.

Shot from the film "The Impossible"

The film was not made to show a tragic story with a happy ending. The meaning of the film lies primarily in its title. First, no one expected that a catastrophe of this magnitude could happen so suddenly, nevertheless, it happened. Second, the film shows an unimaginable will to live. The film calls not to give up and not to leave your loved ones, no matter what happens. It would seem that in such a catastrophic case it is useless to resist and attempt rescue, but the main character proves the opposite.

Catastrophic flood in Thailand. tsunami in thailand