Tsunami in Thailand
As part of a coordinated effort by the United Nations Country Team in Thailand, UNDP played a pivotal role in supporting the Royal Thai Government’s recovery and rehabilitation efforts following the 26 December 2004 tsunami. UNDP’s support focused on four areas: Coordination, Community-based Livelihood Recovery, Environmental Rehabilitation and Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation.
Tsunami projects in Thailand funded by the Tsunami Flash Appeal were wrapped up by June 2006. For ongoing projects as of 2007, read below. For a snapshot of UNDP’s achievements in tsunami recovery and rehabilitation as of December 2005, one year after the disaster, please go to the tsunami archive
Read the report “Tsunami Thailand: One Year Later”
Ongoing Projects
Building Back Better in Lanta Island
UNDP Thailand, with the support of Coca Cola Thailand and the UN Foundation, is managing an innovative long-term recovery programme on Lanta Island, one of the hardest-hit areas in Thailand. The project includes rebuilding, community strengthening, improving community use of natural resources, support to decentralised governance, and promoting environmental awareness.
Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction
UNDP is supporting the Royal Thai Government as it puts in place a multi-hazard early warning and preparedness system, based on community disaster risk management at the local level. The project works in cooperation with local authorities, education institutions, NGOs, the media and the private sector to establish public awareness and ensure long-term sustainability.
Achievements to date include:
- Establishment of two sea-level gauge stations on the west coast of Thailand at Ko Taphao Noi and at Ko Miang.
- Training for the Royal Thai Navy department responsible on operation and maintenance of the sea level stations.
- Training of national and provincial officials in crisis management and damage assessment and needs analysis.
- Training of trainers to establish community-based search and rescue capability.
- Preparation of course and training materials in the Thai language for the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation (DDPM).
- Provision of training to improve DDPM’s and the Thai Red Cross’s ability to support community based disaster risk management efforts, initially in six communities in the hardest-hit tsunami affected provinces.
Community Disaster Preparedness and Response
UNDP is supporting Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center in promoting the use of locally-designed work plans for disaster preparedness and response. As a pilot project, 24 villages and schools will compete to create the most effective community work plan. The best work plan will be used to demonstrate practical community disaster preparedness and response techniques on a wider scale.
The project also includes training of a number of community members so that they can demonstrate the use of these techniques; media training; community stakeholder meetings among teachers, local disaster managers and community leaders; adaptive learning exercises for schoolchildren; and evacuation exercises in coastal communities.
