Damage, floods as Vamco hits many parts of the Kingdom

The wild conditions prompted the Regional Harbour Office in Pattaya and local agencies to dispatch four double-decker boats to bring the holidaymakers back to the mainland.

As storm Vamco – later downgraded to a depression – brought gusty winds and heavy rain to many areas of Thailand, officials issued an order prohibiting public transport boats and small fishing vessels from sailing.

The order stranded 380 tourists on Koh Lan, trapped by high waves, and four boats were sent to collect them. Strong winds/waves damaged several anchorages at the Southern Pattaya Pier, worth millions of baht. The storm also ruined rafts used for parasailing, one kilometre off the Pattaya Bay.

In Chumphon’s Pato district, heavy rain-induced forest floodwaters early yesterday poured into the Moo 4 village in Tambon Pak Song and damaged many houses. A 73-year-old man, Sunyong Chanthewee, was sleeping along with his two-year-old grandchild when the muddy torrents hit their home. They managed to flee unharmed, but the house of an assistant village headman, Payon Angkhapan, was hit by a falling tree.

Many other areas of Pato were also affected by flooding. Officials estimated thousands of households were affected and many roads were made impassable by floodwaters.

In Krabi province, stormy weather blew a 20-metre-tall tree on to a resident’s house in Koh Lanta district. Homeowner Rophiya Raktua, 68, wasn’t injured and officials provided help to repair the house. Khlong Tabprik in Muang district overflowed to flood two roads and farmlands.

Meanwhile, Chaiyaphum’s Lam Pa Thao Dam reported that the storm brought enough rainfall to fill its 66-million cubic metres capacity. 

The dam had been reported to be holding only 35 per cent of capacity, causing fears of a lack of tap water for this northeastern province’s economic zones.