Flooded village declared disaster zone
The southern province of Songkhla has declared a village in Singha Nakhon district’s Tambon Hua Khao to be a disaster zone after strong and relentless waves severely damaged 20 seaside homes and drove 52 families to evacuate as a precaution, a senior official said on Sunday.
Residents of Moo 1 village in this sub-district next to the Gulf of Thailand said the strong waves had caused problems since early last week, 52 families had had to seek a temporary shelter and as of Sunday they couldn’t yet return to their houses.
Songkhla Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office acting director Wasan Chaithaweewong said the area was declared a disaster zone and the authority would offer various types of help, including paying Bt33,000 compensation to each homeowner whose house had been destroyed.
Kwanjai Suwanpairoj, whose temporary house was destroyed, said she had built a new home for herself and her relatives three years ago with a Bt200,000 budget. “After this, I will just rent a house until my new house construction nearby is complete. I won’t spend a lot of money again this time for fear of the same disaster in future,” she said.
Another villager, Sutham Maneedap, said he had not seen worse wave damage for several decades. He recalled that the village previously had a mangrove forest which served as a buffer against the incoming waves, but it had gradually eroded, allowing the latest waves to reach people’s homes.