Tsunami aftermath update

Although it has been over a month since the December 26th tsunami destroyed large swaths of the south and southeast Asian coast, the people who live in those regions are still living with the aftermath. Although U.S. news coverage has largely given way to Super Bowl hype and Michael Jackson trial coverage, there is still plenty of new tsunami news coming in. One great clearinghouse for such news is Travel + Lesiure's blog-style "Tsunami Report", which collects news from sources all over the web -- in addition to showcasing original dispatches from my travel-writer pal Rob McKeown, who is currently visiting damaged areas in Thailand. Check out the T+L site here.

In other news, I was heartened to discover that the Thai island of Koh Yao Noi largely escaped the devastation of the tsunami. I reported on this Muslim fishing island for National Geographic Traveler several months ago, when a local "community-based tourism" project won a World Legacy Award. This project’s organizer, the Responsible Ecological Social Tours Project (REST), sent me this report from the island:

"Overall, Koh Yao Noi was lucky, and damage to the island and her inhabitants was relatively slight compared to other Andaman Coast island. …No-one on Koh Yao Noi island was killed, although sadly some community members did lose family members who were working on Koh Phi Phi island when the wave hit. …The greatest damage in Koh Yao Noi was done to boats, engines, and fishing gear. This included "Gra-chang", or baskets used to raise fish and lobster in the sea. These baskets are like 'savings banks' for the local fishers, and their loss has a very serious impact on supplementary incomes for local fisher families. …In addition, some lesser damage was sustained to peoples' homes, when boats were thrown into shore by the powerful waves.

"Subsequently, the greatest challenge posed by the disaster to the community of Koh Yao No has been restoring local livelihoods so that community members can use their fisherfolk skills to support their families once again. …For those fishers that can still fish, a steep drop in domestic demand has brought added pressures to their families. Demand has dropped because many Thai people are reluctant to eat fish at the moment, due to fear that the fish may have fed on corpses; and the slump in local hotel occupancies following the disaster has meant that a key fish market has all but disappeared."

This report underscores the subtle economic impact of the tsunami, even in communities that did not suffer widespread deaths and home losses. Currently, REST is surveying families on Koh Yao Noi to determine how much money will be required by each family to make essential repairs to their boats and replace their fishing equipment, so that they are able to return to work and support their families. To donate, visit REST’s website here. In the event that REST have extra funds, this money will be sent to assist specific projects in local coastal communities, such as local schools in Ranong Province, my former expat home.

In one final bit of Thailand-based tsunami news, many tourist areas are suffering an economic crisis at the moment, due to rumors and incomplete reporting on the extent of damage on the Andaman Sea coast. In Krabi Province, a group of hotels on Koh Lanta are hosting a press trip in an effort to reverse the misinformation that has inadvertently punished an island that, for the most part, was unaffected by the natural disaster. International media are invited to tour Koh Lanta on February 11-13 to see the real effect the tsunami had on the island. Transportation from Phuket or Bangkok will be provided as well as meals and accommodation on the island for two nights. More information is available at KoLanta.net, and reservations for the press trip must be sent to Duane Lennie by February 6th. Mr. Lennie’s contact information is available online.