PHUKET: Registration continues for the inaugural ’Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023’ event to be held in Mai Khao on Sunday, July 16. The exercise will have a new competitive twist to enhance engagement.
Phuket will be among six Andaman provinces to try the new, more engaging format of the safety exercise, according to the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM Phuket) and Mai Khao Tambon Administrative organization (Mai Khao OrBorTor).
“All people from the area, including Thai residents and foreign tourists, can join the event for free. There is no application fee. Registered participants who cross the finish line within the allotted time will receive commemorative ’Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023’ pins, while the top five finishers will receive special prizes from the DDPM,” Mai Khao OrBorTor said in its announcement of the event.
The inaugural ’Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023’ will start from Sala Phuket in Mai Khao at 4pm on July 16. The 3.2-kilometer-long evacuation route will finish at the designated evacuation meeting point near the Mai Khao OrBorTor office and Phuket Checkpoint.
As Sala Phuket is adjacent to a lake, the participants will first have to proceed northward from the hotel and pass JW Marriott, Anantara Villas, and Marriott’s Mai Khao Beach before turning right onto Thepkrasattri Rd.
Runners and walkers will then go past the Phuket Administrative Court Office and Region 8 Police Headquarters before reaching the final destination.
No exact normative for receiving a commemorative pin has been given so far, but Mai Khao OrBorTor mentioned in its notice that it normally takes around 30 minutes to cover a distance of 2-4 km at a regular pace.
The said 30 minutes were recently given as the time which Phuket residents will have for evacuation after receiving a warning from Station 23461 buoy, installed in the Andaman Sea approximately 340km northwest of Phuket, about halfway between Phuket and the Nicobar Islands.
The ’Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023’ event will be held on July 15-16 in all six Andaman provinces, including Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong, Trang, and Satun. Registration closes on July 9.
To register, please go to https://shorturl.at/adehY or scan a QR code available here.
