Elephant in the room

Khao Lak, Thailand: Returning five years after I covered the tsunami aftermath is a bit odd. It is rather unlikely (knock on wood!) that a tsunami will strike just as I am back, so I sleep quite well at night. But it is like nobody really wants to mention the elephant in the room. But it's hard not to see the signs: "Tsunami evacuation route" , "Tsunami shelter 5 km" etc.. Yet a hotel employee told me that since he returned to Khao Lak 8 months ago, not a single tourist has asked him anything about what happened in 2004, or if it could happen again. And the tourists are coming in ever greater numbers. Warning signs and memorials are there, but most hotels have been rebuilt and there is little evidence of the devastation I saw five years ago. But I can understand why people choose to ignore the elephant. Talking to the survivors is heartbreaking.