DISASTER AREA
THEERAWAT KHAMTHITA & PRASIT TANGPRASERT
Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district was declared a disaster area yesterday after being lashed by a week of heavy rains and flash flooding.
More than 1,000 homes were inundated by 30 to 50 centimetres of water as the Mekong and Kok rivers overflowed.
Chiang Saen district chief Somwang Rungtakulchai said police and security volunteers were guarding flooded houses to prevent looting.
Mr Somwang said the tourism industry in the region was also hit hard, as the area is popular with foreigners undertaking visa renewal runs over the border and back.
The flooding will have led to many tourists seeking to carry out their visa runs elsewhere.
Chiang Khong district chief Suthep Tiewtakul said 47 villages in the district were submerged, over 1,000 families affected and more than 10,000 rai of farmland damaged following the week of heavy downpours.
In Loei, Chiang Khan and Pak Chom districts were hit by flooding as the Mekong overflowed.
Local weather bureau chief Khampan Butra-rat warned communities living along the Mekong to brace themselves for possible flash flooding.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, disaster mitigation officials yesterday issued a warning of possible rain-induced landslides and flash flooding over the coming days.
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