PHUKET: Preparations are being finalised for the tsunami evacuation drill on July 20 in Muang and Thalang districts of this southern island province.
The provincial office of disaster prevention and mitigation said on Tuesday the drill will place emphasis on the warning system, command and evacuation.
Phuket has three districts - Muang, Thalang and Kathu - but the drill on July 20 will cover only Muang and Thalang districts. The date of the tsunami drill in Kathu district will be decided later.
The command centre will be at the disaster prevention and mitigation office, which will be headed by governor Narong Woonciew, who will linked online with operation centres in the two districts.
The drill scenario will be that there is a tsunami after an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude.
The first warning will be given over the 19 warning towers around the island, followed by announcements in five languages - English, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Russian - reporting the magnitude of the earthquake.
The second warning will be for people to evacuate to designated tsunami shelters. There are about 200 shelters in the province.
In Muang district, the drill will be held at Karon beach, where about 100 people will gather. They will run from the beach and take shelter at Wat Suwannakhiri.
In Thalang district, about 100 people will gather at Nai Yang beach. They are to run from the beach and take shelter at Wat Mongkolvanaram School.