Accomplishments in the South Coastal Thai Communities After the 2004 Tsunami in the Restoration Process, A Case Study in Ranong Province

Abstract

The 2004 tsunami caused by the great Sumatra earthquake devastated a large amount of the local communities along the coastline of the Andaman Sea in the southern Thailand. Since then most communities have been gradually recovered from this disaster through various restoration processes. This chapter presents a case study of the post-disaster recovery processes for two small local villages: the Nua and the Hat Sai Khao villages in Suk Samran district, Ranong province, compared with those of the government organizations, the Kasetsart University’s Andaman Coastal Research Station for Development that was also hit hard by this tragic incident. The recovery process of these two small villages can be used as proxies for many small local communities in the southern Thailand about how they have adapted themselves to restore their communities back to their normal stages and eventually to have a sustainable immunity to this natural hazard. The tsunami impacts and detailed restoration and reconstruction processes of these two villages are discussed from the day the disaster occurred until recently. It can be concluded that for small local communities, the external supports, either from central government or the private sectors, are as important as the wills of the residents to support themselves. Without the external help, it is extremely difficult for such small local communities in Thailand to get back on their feet within a short time. In addition, the large amount of the funding support must be distributed to the affected communities within a short time in order to provide effective recovery processes. It can be seen for this specific case study that the continuation of the long term support to the affected communities and the participation of the victims in the restoration and reconstruction processes are also very important in order to help the victims restore their lives and to avoid any social problems that may occur in the affected communities in the future.