On December 26,
2004 at 9:30 AM local time, a magnitude nine earthquake drove a
tsunami that hit the six provinces of Thailand (Nidhiprabha, 2007).
Giant forces that had been building up in the depths of the ocean were
released generating a pattern of waves that swept across the coast line,
causing massive damages throughout the southern region of Thailand
(The deadliest tsunami, 2005). Unlike in Japan, there was no
accompanying nuclear reactor crisis, but Thailand’s massive losses and
recovery experience are instructive regarding the impact of natural
disasters on any nation.
The Thailand tsunami was the worst natural disaster in