BANGKOK, July 7 (TNA) – Authorities in Phuket insist its tsunami-warning system remains operative and is tested on Wednesdays.
In response to people’s concern after about 30 recent earthquakes in the Andaman Sea 400-500 kilometers from Phuket, Udomporn Kan, disaster prevention and mitigation chief of Phuket, said there were 19 tsunami-warming towers around Phuket and they were tested with the playbacks of the national anthem at 8am on Wednesdays. The tests proved that the towers were operative, he said.
The towers could alert people along Phuket’s beaches to tsunami threats with warnings in five languages including Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese and Russian languages, Mr Udomporn said.
Officials concerned also checked evacuation routes regularly and maintained directional signs for evacuation routes around the island. On July 20 there would be an evacuation drill in Thalang district to ready people for possible tsunami danger, he said. (TNA)
