Lickey

Ohyesuare, on 2012-04-27 00:12:52, said:

I kinda agree with this although there ARE lots of decent, normal westerners  around. In fact all of my "real friends" here could quite possibly be my friends outside of Thailand, too. But, I'm very selective.
I avoid and don't associate with people who are untrustworthy, dumbasses, drunkard bums, loud-mouths, self-centered, greedy  or people who have no manners, badly behaved and don't know how to conduct themselves.
However, unfortunately, the majority of westerners here are real low life undesirables. Just scum really. It's strange how they seem to fit in nicely here. But, I wouldn't stop at just westerners as I have witnessed the disgusting behavior of other races or nationalities as well such as the obnoxious Iranians and to a lesser extent Indians around the Pratunam area, for example. But, when a country fosters and markets cheap sex, alcohol, drugs, law-breaking and law-buying, you've got the perfect recipe to attract the swill and the jetsam of the world.

If they want the public to remain calm, it might help to resort to facts and dispense with fiction. This whole piece is an example of feeding masses misinformation; talking down to the people as though they were uneducated and gullible, for short term gain that long term facts prove fallacious. This causes loss of credibility, loss of confidence.

Perhaps, the most egregious misinformation is the comment that the small quakes are a good thing because they release energy and reduce the possibility of a major quake. Experts would classify this as pure fiction. Sometimes there are foreshocks preceeding a devastating quake, as well as aftershocks. Sometimes volcanic eruption which is independent of plate slippage tension causes quakes. Regardless of whether it is plate pulling tension, plate compression squeezing, or lateral strike-slip, the occurance is no indication that major quake activity has been postponed.

He said it only takes two minutes to analyse a situation and a response could immediately be given to the public. How?

First of all, in two minutes most quakes are over and the damage is done. The 1994 Northridge quake in LA happened at 4:30a.m. and no analsys was even possible to begin in earnest until daylight and it was hours later before the facts became known. This is in the most advanced first world, earthquake prepared city in the world. Streets often become impassable. Power and water utilities can become compromised in the short term. Telephone service and broadcast communications can often be impaired in the short term.

This kind of comment above leads to false security and increases panic during the real deal when peoples' faith is unfulfilled and their reliance on authorities to save them proves to be misplaced. Over-promising and under-delivering is questionable disaster preparedness strategy.

He talks about early warning systems and evacuation plans. This may work for tsunamis and hurricanes, but earthquake alerts, such as laser plate migration monitoring are measured in seconds or tens of seconds; hardly enough time to evacuate. Evacuations are to get people out of the way of impending danger as in hurricanes or tsunamis. How do you evacuate people from the ground shaking when there is no realistic advance warning?

He talks about being prepared. Why have there been no media reports preparing people for what to do in a quake?

• nothing about installing structure occupancy monitors that SMS first responders to eliminate search time;
  
• nothing about securing heavy furniture and objects from toppling during a quake;
  
• nothing about adding additional bracing over your sleeping area;
  
• nothing about drop, cover, and hold procedures during a quake;
  
• nothing about never run out of a building during a quake;
  
• nothing about where to take cover in marginally reinforced no building code structures;
  
• nothing about knowing how to shut off gas, electricity, and water;
  
• nothing about what to do when driving and a quake hits;
  
• nothing about survival kits;
  
• nothing about rendezvous plans for families and companies;
  
• nothing about trained survivor and cadaver sniffing dogs to aid rescue efforts;
  
• and so much more.

He compares quake preparedness with floods and chooses to reassure people saying that they will be protected from quakes like they were from the floods. Not sure which people he is trying to reassure but people in Phuket may be satisfied that the government protected them from floods and that they should be confident based on the flood preparedness and how well the floods were handled.

Perhaps, there may be some cultural reasons for such empty reassurances (never mind factual inaccuracies) that put the general population off guard and at greater risk.

Street food is part and parcel of the way of life here, but why there can't seem to be ANY improvement at all in the hygiene is beyond me.  We have government departments for this, and for that, and budgets for this and for that, but when a really tangible problem occurs the answer is TIT.  We are going to read the stories about how many people killed on the roads in the next week, and there is not ONE drivers ed video put on national TV ever.  Putting a 30 second video about how to overtake, how to turn right and the such could be placed on prime time TV every night for a year for nothing and it would have a tangible effect.  

Now tell me, they can't teach people to wash their hands, not use the fresh chicken chopping block for the salad and the such.  TIT I guess.

Evacuate them to where?
I would suggest establishing places where water is splashing (I jest not).  Near waterfalls, for example.  There are several near the town of Chiang Rai.
Similarly, set up public areas where water vapor can clear the air. This can be done with sprinklers or with high powered hoses shooting against a hard surface - causing as much spray as possible.  It also produces negative ions, which are v. good for health and positive mood. People don't have to be getting wet - just being near the vapor will effect quick improvements.

I suffer from severe hay fever (twice per year in Thailand, only once per year in farang-lands). Smog and dust exacerbates it.  When I'm near a waterfall, my suffering lessens markedly.

Depends on your circumstances really, I renewed my UK license using my Uk postal address, my daughters, but now having a Thai driving license which I just renew, you can drive in UK on a Thai license. So !!! what's it all about Alfie.