Flood-hit Mae Hong Son faces road closures and power outages
Mae Hong Son remains on alert for floods and landslides as heavy rain disrupts roads, electricity and communications in Mae Sam Laep.
- Authorities have placed five districts in Mae Hong Son on alert for further flooding and landslides following persistent heavy rainfall.
- The village of Mae Sam Laep is cut off by road closures, with landslide debris blocking a key highway and clearance expected to take several days.
- Mae Sam Laep is also without electricity and mobile phone services, as the blocked roads are preventing repair equipment from reaching the area.
Mae Hong Son authorities have warned residents in five districts to prepare for further flooding as persistent heavy rain continues, while Mae Sam Laep in Sop Moei remains without electricity or mobile phone services and access via its main road remains disrupted.
Five districts remain on flood alert
Mae Hong Son Governor Wiboon Waewbandit issued the warning on Tuesday (September 29) for residents of Mueang Mae Hong Son, Khun Yuam, Mae La Noi, Mae Sariang and Sop Moei districts, urging communities to remain alert and prepare for flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
The Mae Hong Son office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has issued at least two flood alerts over the past 24 hours.
The Mae Hong Son Meteorological Station reported widespread rainfall from Mueang Mae Hong Son southwards to Sop Moei. Rain had been falling continuously since about 3.30pm on Monday (September 28) and was still falling.
In Mae Sariang, District Chief Worasak Panthong separately warned residents to prepare for flooding and landslides. Particular caution was advised in low-lying areas, along rivers and streams, near foothills and steep slopes, and in villages with a history of natural disasters.
Transformer fire adds to disruption
Heavy rain also coincided with an electrical incident at about 7.30pm on September 28, when a transformer exploded and high-voltage power lines caught fire on Highway 108 (Hot–Mae Sariang) in front of Sangwan Wittaya School at Ban Mae Ho.
One vehicle was damaged in the incident. Electricity officials brought the situation under control, and no injuries were reported.
Mae Sam Laep remains cut off
Meanwhile, Pongpipat Meebenjamart, chief of the Mae Sam Laep Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, reported that flood response operations were continuing after machinery from the Mae Hong Son Provincial Administrative Organisation moved in to clear a route at Ban Siwa Doe, only for another flash flood to strike on the night of September 25.
On September 28, the Mae Hong Son Highway District deployed machinery to clear Highway 1194 between Huai Pho and Mae Sam Laep. Officials estimated that removing landslide debris and other obstructions would take another two to three days before normal traffic could resume.
Electricity and mobile phone services across all networks in Mae Sam Laep also remained unavailable. Restoration work depends on reopening the main route so the Provincial Electricity Authority can transport electricity poles, cables and other equipment into the affected area.
The Mae Hong Son Provincial Administrative Organisation, the Mae Hong Son Highway District and the Mae Sariang Highway Section are mobilising personnel and machinery to restore access, restore electricity services and ease the impact on residents.
Continuing rain hampers recovery
Conditions across Mae Hong Son remain a concern because rain is continuing while areas damaged by earlier flooding have yet to return to normal. Cut-off transport links have disrupted the delivery of daily necessities, while power and communication outages have made it harder for affected communities to receive official information and updates.
