NAKHON PHANOM: A fierce summer storm pounded three districts of Nakhon Phanom, damaging more than 30 houses, as weather forecasters warned gusty winds and even hail are expected to hit the Northeast and other regions until Tuesday.
Officials from the provincial disaster prevention mitigation office were joined by soldiers and local officials as they surveyed the damage in Nakae, Renu Nakhon and Pla Pak districts on Friday evening
In Pla Pak, more than 20 houses were damaged, five of them severely. In Na Kae, five houses were damaged and two needed major repairs. In Renu Nakhon, more than 10 houses were damaged with their roofs blown off.
Chamras Lakngam, 46, one of the affected residents in Na Kae, said the storm battered his community for more than one hour on Friday evening. He fled from his roadside Isan food stall as it could not withstand the strong winds. The stall collapsed shortly after he ran for his own safety. Other houses were also damaged, he added.
Local administration organisations in the affected areas will provide financial assistance of 30,000 baht to each affected household for repairs, local officials said.
The Meteorological Department warned earlier that sudden storms, gusty winds and even hail are expected in the Northeast, East, North, Central and upper South from Saturday until Tuesday.