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ABSTRACT This paper summarizes a method for estimating the degree and geographic extent of tsunami disaster damage from Indian Ocean Tsunami by using geo-spatial data (such as satellite remote sensing images, aerial photographs, topographic map, ground photos and field survey results) in two case studies of damage to west coast of southern Thailand. The authors learned the following from these case studies:the extent of flooding can be estimated from discoloration of vegetation;
damage to buildings can be estimated by deciphering whether the roof was lost or not; and
damage to coastal facilities such as seawall can be also estimated by deciphering from geo-spatial information.
Moreover, the authors developed a methodology to estimate the risk of a seawall being washed away by using a laboratory experiment and also developed a methodology to show how tsunami damage can be evaluated.
INTRODUCTION Tsunami is that cause massive damage occur every few decades somewhere in the world. On December 26, 2004, the 9.0 magnitude Sumatra Andaman mega thrust earthquake spawned gigantic seismic waves or tsunami in the Indian Ocean which caused large scale coastal flooding in various countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Langka, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc. In Thailand, the area affected by the Tsunami was located in the west coast of six of its southern province. The tsunami caused the death of people including Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun. The tsunami caused people were killed, coast plain flooding, resulting in damage to many buildings, coastal facilities, beaches, inlets, etc. Preventing the occurrence of tsunamis is impossible with current technology level, but it is possible to minimize tsunami damage if detailed estimates of potential damage are made.
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