Before the Tsunami the area of Khao Lak, in the Phang Nga province of Southern Thailand<, had an up-and-coming tourist industry alongside the well established local fishing businesses. The 26th of December Tsunami had a devastating impact on this area, with vast areas being totally destroyed. It is estimated that over 10,000 people were killed in this area with many 1000's more losing homes, livelyhoods, jobs and possessions. Some people have lost nearly all of their family and in one village (Nam Kem) only 18% of the population survived.

Since this awful tragedy steady progress has been made in building new homes to replace those that were totally destroyed and rebuilding larger buildings that remained partially intact. A number of people still remain in temporary housing villages, however many have now been rehoused. The imminent start of the tourist season has brought new hope of greater economic development in the area, and many hotels are working very hard to reopen for this time. Large numbers still remain unemployed and the huge level of loss is still very evident.