Building back better in Thailand tsunami affected areas

Thailand was among the countries worst hit by the Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004. Nevertheless, after nineteen months, Thailand has today largely recovered. The local population who lost most or all of their belongings in the tsunami, are now well on their way to recovery, and the majority of those who were living in temporary camps have now moved to new homes. Damaged schools have now been repaired. Tourists too are now returning to the tsunami affected areas – with important benefits for the local economy and people’s livelihoods.

The key to this recovery has been the incredible efforts of the Royal Thai Government, supported by UN agencies and international donors. The RTG has also given a very high priority to tsunami prevention and warning and has established a National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) to reduce the loss of life and property in future disasters. But this success is also due to the efforts of local communities. In both the emergency and the recovery phases they have done an excellent job and strengthened their capacity. These efforts have also created opportunities to strengthen the links between local governments and minority groups.