Visiting Post-Tsunami Islands
On December 26, 2004, much of the islands, particularly Phi Phi Don Island was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami.
The main village of Koh Phi Phi, called Ton Sai, was located on an isthmus between the island’s two tall limestone ridges and was only six feet above sea level. Shortly after 10 am that morning the ten foot tsunami came in and inundated the village. At the time 10,000 occupants, including tourists were residing on Phi Phi Don.
The tsunami killed approximately 4,000 people although the actual number was unknown. The island was evacuated after the tsunami and volunteers returned to the island a year later to clean up and rebuild the island. They cleared 23,000 tons of debris, much of it by hand. Three hundred businesses were restored.
Finally, on October 31, 2005, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed an upgrade to the hotels and restaurants on Phi Phi Don and posed a limitation on the number of tourists who could visit the island at one time. As of December 2005, nearly fifteen hundred hotel rooms were open and a tsunami warning alarm had been installed.