Tsunami Awareness Initiative (CAS Project)

Evacuation Routes

Meaning of Evacuation Routes & signs

Evacuation Zones, Routes, and Assembly signs indicate where people need to evacuate during a tsunami warning, provide instructions, directions, or routes for leaving, and point out assembly areas.

Evacuation signs

Phuket has a lot of evacuation signs in costal area such as:

Patong beach
Kamala beach
Karon beach
Kata beach
Surin beach

These signs leads you towards safe rotes away from coasts, higher ground, evacuation shelters.

EMERGENCY Warning system & evacuation PROCESSES

Phuket uses several warning systems, including, emergency sirens, tsunami warning towers, radio and television broadcasts, mobile phone alerts, and the announcement from the local authorities.

When Tsunami warning is announced:

People near the beach should evacuate immediately
Follow the marked evacuation routes
Reach higher ground or evacuation shelters
Wait for official safety confirmation

International tsunami signs - iso-approved(2008)

In 2008, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) gave its approval for global signs indicating tsunami hazard zones, evacuation areas, and evacuation buildings. ISO 20712 focuses on water safety signs and beach safety flags, offering guidance on safety signs that inform about aquatic dangers and the necessary actions to avoid them, including signs for tsunami hazard zones. The required shapes and colors for these safety signs, along with the appropriate graphical symbols, focusing on safety identification, signs, shapes, symbols, and colors.

Additional examples of tsunami signs can be found in the 2007 New Zealand National Tsunami Signage Recommendations for Civil Defense and Emergency Management (CDEM) Groups report by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science Report 2007/40).

In New Zealand in 2008, the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management released its National Tsunami Signage Technical Standard for the CDEM Sector (CDEM TS 01/08). This signage is helping to implement evacuation plans and is working in conjunction with public education and response planning to enhance tsunami risk management. By establishing a national standard for the consistency and placement of signage throughout New Zealand, it aims to improve recognition and understanding among both local travelers and international visitors.

International Tsunami Information Center. “Signs & Symbols - International Tsunami Information Center.” Ioc-Unesco.org, 2019, legacy.itic.ioc-unesco.org/legacy.itic.ioc-unesco.org/index3665.html.

Evacuation route in patong

This map shows the nine tsunami evacuation routes identified in Patong and points out the tsunami hazard zone based on the areas impacted during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Some of the evacuation routes close to the beach were hard to find and are indicated with a “?” symbol on the map. The average distance between the current evacuation routes is about 730 meters. Bangla Road is marked as one of the main alternative evacuation routes and features a well-developed signage system to direct people to safe areas. The map also displays various types of tsunami evacuation signs, such as directional signs, hazard zone markers, and street markings that lead to safety zones. Signage is more common within the tsunami hazard area to enhance visibility and assist people in evacuating quickly during emergencies. The original map has been updated to include evacuation routes, hazard zones, safety information, and examples of evacuation signage to boost public awareness and understanding.

ResearchGate. “Researchgate.” ResearchGate, ResearchGate, 2024, www.researchgate.net.

Maps

These maps helps individuals by showing the locations of higher ground and safe evacuation zones. Even when evacuation signs are hard to see, broken, crowded, or inaccessible, the map can still direct people to safer spots. Some maps may feature landmarks, emergency shelters, warning towers, hospitals, and major roads to facilitate navigation during emergencies. By learning the evacuation routes ahead of time, both residents and visitors can respond faster and reduce confusion or panic when a tsunami warning occurs. Knowing the area and understanding where to go can save crucial time and enhance overall safety during an evacuation.

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