"Storms"

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has told the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to speed up relief operations for people affected by floods and storms, a top official said on Wednesday.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported that though the Kompasu storm has weakened, strong southwest monsoon still prevails across the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand.

The authorities believe floods in the Central region will clear soon provided there are no storms in the next five to 10 days.

Severe weather conditions on August 9 led to flooding, landslides and storms in 21 districts of nine provinces affecting 577 households, two schools and a temple and resulting in two injuries, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) director-general Chayaphol Thitisak said on Wednesday.

The Thai Meteorological Department announced storm warnings in upper Thailand and the South China Sea.

His Majesty the King on Wednesday graciously instructed Privy Councillor Jirayu Isarangkul na Ayudhya to hand out bags of necessities to 736 families who were affected by recent storms in Phayao province.

More than 6,900 houses have been damaged by storms since the beginning of this month, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief said.

Many houses were damaged when four districts of Phitsanulok province were hit by thunderstorms on Monday night, authorities said.

At least three deaths were attributed to severe weather in the US as heavy snow and high winds snarled air and ground transportation during a busy holiday travel period.

Floods killed 12 people on the island of Sicily, including nine members of a single family, pushing Italy's week-long storm toll beyond 30, rescuers said Sunday.

THAILAND is bracing for a series of heavy rains brought by two approaching storms during the next seven days, while people living downstream of dams asked for thoughtful water management to minimise impacts from water discharge.

Tornados in the southern Philippines, tropical storms ravaging landlocked Laos, these are just a few of the severe weather aberrations happening across Southeast Asia right now.