Khao Lak, Thailand, Dec 25 (EFE).- Two decades after the devastating 2004 tsunami, thousands of tourists returned to Thailand’s Andaman Sea coast to celebrate Christmas on Wednesday.
The celebrations took place under the bright sun and tranquil waters of the ocean, mirroring the calm before disaster struck 20 years ago.
On Christmas 20 years ago, the region was hours away from the catastrophic magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, the third most powerful ever recorded.
The resulting tsunami unleashed waves as high as 30 meters, devastating 14 countries and claiming over 228,000 lives, including 2,000 foreign tourists celebrating the holidays in Thailand.
Rebuilt but Not Forgotten
Today, Khao Lak’s coastline, once obliterated by the waves, is dotted with rebuilt resorts bustling with European travelers escaping winter’s chill. Yet, traces of the tragedy linger.
In Khao Lak, a modest museum keeps the memory alive with photographs and artifacts storifying the devastation, which caused $14 billion in losses across Asia and Africa.
Nearby, Phuket Island features other commemorative sites, including cemeteries, parks, and squares, all bearing messages about the importance of disaster preparedness.
Preparedness in the Face of Adversity
In the aftermath of the tsunami and the 500 aftershocks recorded until March 2005, Thailand adopted robust prevention measures.
Today, rapid-response systems and marine alert mechanisms line the coasts of the six Thai provinces affected in 2004, positioning the country as a safer destination for global tourism.
Visitors in Khao Lak can now follow marked evacuation routes to higher ground or rely on locals for guidance should the sea turn treacherous, as it did on the morning of December 26, 2004.
Commemorations
A ceremony at the International Tsunami Museum in Khao Lak will honor the victims on Thursday.
The event will feature Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, and relatives of the deceased.
Similar tributes will take place across the 14 affected nations, including a solemn ceremony near Banda Aceh in Indonesia, ground zero of the tsunami, where 61,000 lives were lost. EFE
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