Stories tagged with floods
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Floods close some railways in Thailand
Following another week of heavy rains across most of northern and central Thailand, flooding in several regions has prompted authorities to shut down a number of train lines. Particularly hard hit was the Issan region in the northeast of the country, where floods washed away sections of the train tracks around Khon Kaen.
As a result of the flooding, all train services to Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Nakhon Ratchasmia have been stopped indefinitely until the situation eases and repairs can be made to the rail lines. Flood warnings have been issued for 29 of the provinces in northern Thailand, where heavy rains are expected to continue over the next week.
Other areas heavily affected by the floods include Ban Haed, where the Mitraparb Highway bridge was washed away, creating traffic chaos. Areas around Nakhon Ratchasima have been declared disaster zones, with several people killed and many more missing. Tak province experienced flash floods that washed away several villages, and in Petchaburi many roads are submerged, making travel impossible except by boat.
It’s hard to find a province in Thailand that isn’t presently suffering from flood damage. The flooding has caused property damage of 700 million baht, affected 750,000 rai of agriculture land and displaced some 2.7 million farm animals, according to Somsak Prissanananthakul, the Minister of Agriculture.
Posted by: Andrew on 27 Sep 2008, 09:58 -
Heavy rains hammer northern Thailand
Heavy sustained rains have inundated much of northern Thailand, causing widespread flooding and landslides. Nearly every province in the north and northeast of the country is at serious risk of flooding, with some districts even declaring themselves disaster zones.
One of the worst-hit areas is the central town of Lopburi, where run-off from surrounding mountains swamped some 30 villages and all roads under water. Neigbouring Ayutthaya, a major tourist destination, is in immediate danger of being submerged as the Chao Phraya River is threatening to burst its banks.
The provincial governor of Ayutthaya has declared all 16 of its districts disaster zones. "We're going to declare all districts in Ayutthaya disaster zones so that each of them can use emergency funds to immediately render help to the affected villagers," said Ayutthaya governor Preecha Kamolbutr.
Khao Yai National Park, in Prachinburi, has also been hit hard. Rangers at the park are not allowing visitors to go to the waterfalls or trek in the forest due to the danger of landslides and flash floods. Tourists planning to visit Khao Yai or any towns along the Chao Phraya River are advised to postpone their travel plans until the latest round of rains has subsided.
For the latest updates check out The Nation newspaper.
Posted by: Andrew on 14 Sep 2008, 11:07 -
Big clean up day on Samui
December 1st was set aside for a mammouth clean up effort on Samui following devastating floods in November which wrecked the island’s preparations for the holiday season.
Led by Surat Thani provincial govenor Vinai Baupradit, a team of municipal officials and employees joined the clean-up activities, which included patch up work to damaged roads and bridges, removing of debris, and clearing out garbage that had blocked drainage.
The effort went a long way to restoring confidence in the island’s image, following negative publicity after 1000 tourists were trapped on the island, unable to leave due to violent storms grounding air traffic.Tourism on the island is reeling, following weeks of adverse weather that kept tourists away and flooded parts of Chaweng and other areas.
Despite being one of Thailand’s most popular islands, Samui perpetually suffers an image problem from continual negative publicity resulting from mafia elements and criminal activities on the island. A concerted effort by officials has been made this year to clean up the island’s reputation and the latest clean up day helped with appearances.
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Posted by: Andrew on 18 Dec 2007, 10:30 -
Flooded Samui Returns to Normal
After torrential floods ruined Samui’s weekend, stranding more than 1000 visitors on the island, the situation has almost returned to normal. Flights which were grounded due to adverse weather on Thursday resumed over the weekend, and high waters have begun receding.
The Island was declared a disaster zone after torrential rains pelted Surat Thani province all week. It left central Chaweng beach area under 70cms of water and has caused damage estimated at 100 million baht. The Thai airforce was brought in to help with relief, and six-wheeled trucks were needed to evacuate some people.
Although tourists were in no real danger, many found themselves unable to leave after Bangkok airways suspended all 72 flights on Thursday, mindful of the recent air disaster at Phuket airport caused by bad weather. Their tropical ‘open air’ terminal proved inadequate as a temporary shelter for stranded passengers.
“Never have I seen rain like it before – not even when Hurricane Katrina whistled by me! The cloud cover has been so thick midday is like twilight.� Said one local resident on a web forum.
The storms have been battering the south for more than a week, and although a lull had brough clear sunny weather on Sunday, more clouds had appeared overnight. The flood waters have mostly receded by an expensive clean up operation is now needed on the eve of the tourist season.
“Last week's flooding on Koh Samui had caused up to 100 million baht in damage to roads and public utilities on the resort island�, mayor Warakorn Rattanarak said yesterday. The island is however, still open for business and many resorts remain unaffected. But cloudy weather is forecast for the next week.
Posted by: Andrew on 12 Nov 2007, 08:50 -
Floods inundate Surat Thani, Phangnga
Late August marks the beginning of the end of Thailand’s rainy season, but Mother Nature still has a few lashings to dish out, and Surat Thani and Phangnga have seen the worst flooding in decades has hit the area these past few days. 7 of the 8 Phangnga districts experienced torrential flash floods. Takua Thung is the only lucky area to remain free of high water.
Waters over 2 metres high were reported in Tambon Tham Nam Phud and many schools were closed in the municipality of Takua Pa. The 7 inundated districts have been decalred disaster zones by Governor Winai Bupradit and has petitioned the Interior Minister for emergency aid.
Bupradit reported to national media that these floods were the worst seen in 60 years, as water run-off from Khao Sok national park invaded over 500 homes across six villages in Phanom district, and the area also saw over 2,000 rai of fertile farmland sink below the waves.
Posted by: DaveB on 23 Aug 2007, 11:30 -
Northern Thai province installs flood warning system
Mae Hong Son province in the northwest corner of Thailand has gone high tech in an effort to deal with flooding during the heavy rains that fall during the wet season. Flash floods in the region are not uncommon and a solution had to be found to curb the damage that flooding can cause.
Provincial officials, together with the company NECTECH, have already set up an electronic advance warning system in Pai and Pangmapha. Pai, beign located in a valley is particularly at risk, and it is also a very popular destination for tourists.
The alarms are set to sound every two hours if excess rain is measured by the devices, thus allowing locals and tourists alike to seek appropriate shelter. The two-hour advance notice will sound at city halls and provincial centres, and help local officials and departments to anticipate floods and landslides- all too often occurrences during rainy season.
Direk Kornkleeb, Mae Hong Son’s provincial governor has given instructions on how to react to flash floods to over 80 villages in the area deemed to be at risk. Military forces, police and other local bodies have been told to prepare equipment and to be on alert with medical supplies until further notice.
Posted by: DaveB on 09 Aug 2007, 16:44