Weekend deluges flood South

Weekend deluges flood South

Nakhon Si Thammarat worst-hit province

Vehicles crawl through a flooded road in Surat Thani. Many areas of the province were inundated after heavy rain pounded the province on Saturday night. (Photo by Supapong Chaolan)
Vehicles crawl through a flooded road in Surat Thani. Many areas of the province were inundated after heavy rain pounded the province on Saturday night. (Photo by Supapong Chaolan)

Some provinces in the South were affected Sunday by flooding triggered by torrential rain that erupted in the region over the weekend.

The Meteorological Department also warned of more torrential rain in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Trang and Satun today.

As of Sunday, Nakhon Si Thammarat, in particular, appeared to have suffered the worst of the downpours.

In Thung Song district of the southern province, run-off from the forest burst into the municipality areas where the flood levels reached between 30cm and 50cm, said a source.

With the flood levels rising, there was concern the municipality's business zone would be severely affected, said the source.

In Muang district of the province, run-off from Luang mountain range flooded several areas in the district as it drained into the Gulf of Thailand through the district's five main canals.

In Lan Saka district, the water levels in the main canal rose rapidly prompting local disaster prevention and mitigation authorities to warn both residents and tourists to prepare for possible flooding.

In Sichon district, a military team began searching for a motorcycle reportedly washed away in a tide of forest run-off in an oil palm plantation.

These latest incidents in a province that encounters flooding every year have sparked renewed calls from locals for better flood prevention and management.

The Department of Airports confirmed the province's airport was still operating as normal.

In Phatthalung province, several areas in tambon Charat in Kong Ra district were heavily flooded by run-off bursting in from the Ban That mountain range.

Heavy rain began there on Saturday night.

The average floodwater level in Phatthalung's Khuan Khanun district where at least three tambons were affected was about 30m as of Sunday.

Several areas in several districts of Surat Thani were also flooded Sunday morning after being hit by heavy rain on Saturday night.

The quantities of rain measured during the past 24 hours were 203 millimetres in tambon Tha Uthae of Kanchanadit district, 196mm in tambon Hua Toey of Phun Phin district and 170mm in tambon Pak Phraek of Don Sak district.

In Don Sak district, five villages were flooded, affecting 32 households.

In Muang district, the ring road was heavily flooded between Vibhavadi Military Hospital and the Toyota showroom. Many roads in the town centre were also inundated.

Rain is forecast to continue in Southern Thailand today and tomorrow, while a slight drop in temperatures and strong winds are expected in upper Thailand, said the Office of National Water Resources.

In Songkhla province's Sathing Phra district, at least 14 houses were damaged in strong winds and torrential rain on Saturday night. The red flag was raised at the province's Samila Beach to warn visitors against swimming in the seas.

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