Case Study- Tsunami in Thailand

Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities-Case Analysis Tsunami in Thailand

Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities- Case Analysis Tsunami in Thailand

Hypothesis Statement

A great deal of humanitarian aid is needed due to widespread damage of the infrastructure, shortages of food and water, and economic damage due to Tsunami in Thailand.

Introduction

Everyone knows something about Thailand. The country is known to many as the home of a wonderful cuisine, great package tours, child prostitution, fabulous silk, fake Rolex watches and magnificent temples. We learn about the country through tourist advertising, business and educational exchanges, films and news reports; these fragments reinforce the country''s seductive appeal. For Thailand does not permit distancing, but rather sucks us into a sensual world of exotic sights, sounds, tastes, and smells.

As the cultural, economic and political centre of Thailand, Bangkok has a unique role in establishing cultural and gender hegemonies for the whole country. But Thailand also has a fluid, transnational identity that ranges beyond its national borders. Beauty contestants, factory workers, people with HIV/AIDS and prostitutes affect the representation of the Thai nation state, and of Thai women in Thailand and elsewhere.

Thailand government is preparing for various disaster risk reduction programs to maximum reduce the impact of natural disasters like Tsunami.

Overview of Thailand

Thailand was Siam for most of its history. It is unique among southeast countries because it was never colonized by Europe. This phenomenon affects the very nature of the land and its people to this day. The Thais call their country "Prathet Thai," which can be translated as "Land of the Free." Thai people came from China''s Pamir Plateau around the 10th century A.D. because of the agricultural potential in the region.Overview: Implications of the Tsunami

On December 26th 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is now thought to have killed more than 160,000 people. But whilst rescuers and aid agencies struggle to bring aid to the survivors, the region's financial markets are strangely serene. Stock markets have not plummeted; currencies have not collapsed. Instead, the financial markets appear to expect the current miseries to be easily overcome. Is this simple callousness, or have the financial markets got it right? On an arrow analysis, investors and traders have made the right call. Despite the misery, the impact on regional GDP growth rates this year is likely to be modest.

Thailand is already benefiting from the direct provision of aid. It is also likely to be a major gainer from a proposal by creditor countries to suspend external debt repayments, if agreed to. The Economist Intelligence Unit's downward revision to the overall Thailand GDP growth forecast is therefore just 0.3 percentage points. GDP growth in Thailand this year is still likely to be around 5.4% (Bellis, M., 2004).What caused Tsunami?

A tsunami (a Japanese word that translates as "harbor wave") is triggered by a vertical disturbance in the ocean, such as an earthquake, landslide or volcanic eruption. The disaster was caused by a massive earthquake off the coast of Thailand, where two plates of the earth''s ...