The 2004 tsunami killed more than 5,000 people in Thailand, according to official figures, with 3,000 missing.
Now the country’s two DART buoys are linked by satellite to a nationwide network of 130 alarm towers equipped with sirens and loudspeakers that can broadcast in five languages in coastal provinces.
Residents in disaster-prone areas also receive an SMS alert of an imminent tsunami, warning them to evacuate quickly.
Before 2004, it would take anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes before an alarm could be issued, says Laura Kong, director of UNESCO’s International Tsunami Information Center.
“Today it’s typical we would get something within five to seven minutes,” she said.
One day, say UN experts, the system will prove essential.
