Landslides are one of the biggest threats to Thailand's people and property. Thailand is susceptible to this major natural disaster USUALLY due to the heavy rains. It is mainly a hazard to the northwestern and southern regions where the most flooding occurs. In an article I was reading it stated that "The landslides occurred because of unseasonably heavy rain, during which more than 1,200 millimeters (47 inches) fell. The ensuing floods and landslides affected more than two million people and killed 53 in 11 Thai provinces, said news reports on April 5"(Earth Observatory). In another article it stated a bunch of ways that the country prevents and helps the people in affected areas. A couple ways is that people in the vulnerable areas join together as a community and plan what will happen incase of the emergency situation. DMR has been working on creating a disaster warning signal that can be sent to others and evacuations can take place easier (DMR). The DMR checks vulnerable areas regularly to test out the soil and other factors. With the communities working together to create a safer and well planned out disaster program. Below are a few photos of previous landslides in Thailand:
sources:
http://landslides.usgs.gov/learn/prepare.php
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49976
http://www.dmr.go.th/main.php?filename=landslide_En
Picture sources:
http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/04/01/large-landslide-in-thailand/
http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/thailand-vietnam-landslide-blocks-railroad-in-north-quakes-with
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love your country's readiness action in getting communities involved like that. I mean if comunities can get together and plan the best course of action for themselves then they will really understand their plans and what to do. Also, I feel like this also helps prepare people around to help each other because they have knowledge and maybe are not as unsure of what to do or what is going on that they can asses a situation and know if they are in a position to help, be helped, or just needed to get to a different place. I love this idea of community awareness, great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat news for this country. As many others this semester (the Philippines, Fiji, El Salvador,..) it suffers from extreme weather too often...you'll be busy in the next weeks! (:
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