Kingdom warned to brace for more as floodwaters recede
As Thailand's seven provinces suffered from flooding that has killed eight persons so far, the weather bureau yesterday urged people in the North, the Northeast, the East and the South West Coast to brace for more heavy rains up to September 9.
The Meteorological Department said the monsoon trough that hovered across the North and the Northeast earlier this week would remain while the stronger southwest monsoon prevailed over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Hence scattered to fairly widespread rain was expected over the entire country and isolated heavy rain in the North, the Northeast, the East and the South West Coast. Waves with a height of about two metres would be found in the Andaman Sea, so all shipping should proceed with caution.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department yesterday reported that Phichit, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phitsanulok, Phayao, Tak and Maha Sarakham provinces were suffering from flooding and eight people had died. In Nakhon Sawan’s Pai Salee district, a flash flood yesterday inundated 1,000 rai of farmlands and damaged roads in four villages. In Phayao’s Dok Kham Tai district, the flood-hit Dok Kham Tai Wittayakhom School remained closed as the school buildings were under one-metre-deep floodwater, and some teaching materials were damaged.
Days of heavy rains caused forest runoffs to hit residential houses, farmlands and rural roads in tambon Ban Kaeng of Sukhothai’s Sri Satchanalai district yesterday morning. State officials provided help to some 100 affected families.
In Lampang’s Muang district, 200 homes in four villages of tambon Ban Kha were hit by a flash flood at 3am but the one-metre-deep water had receded by the afternoon so residents cleaned their homes with help from Tambon Ban Kha Administrative Organisation officials and water tank trucks.
