New floods hit southern provinces of Thailand on Saturday, December 14, killing two people so far.
See: Southern Thailand on alert: torrential rains forecast
The floods particularly hit the provinces of Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Floods in Surat Thani
Heavy downpours persisting since Thursday caused canals and other water sources to overflow on Saturday, throwing a huge volume of water into agricultural areas, roads and houses in three districts: Surat Thani, Kanchanadit and Don Sak.
The floods affected 315 households living in 42 villages in these three districts.
At Huai Dan Moo 6 village in Kanchanadit, runoff water flowed into the area, with water levels rising about one meter on Saturday.
Rescue workers helped move belongings from five damaged homes to higher ground.
Theeyut Supawiboonphol, deputy governor of Surat Thani, ordered district authorities to provide assistance to residents affected by floods and landslides and assess the damage in their area.
Floodwaters are expected to continue to rise in Kanchanadit and Don Sak as runoff water flows into these districts, he said.
Floods in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Soldiers pull a pickup truck loaded with oil palm nuts across a flooded road in Sichon district of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Saturday, December 14, 2024. The driver was rescued. Photo: Nujraree Raekroon
Floodwaters rose to 30-50 centimeters on the western side of the municipal area in Nakhon Si Thammarat district on Saturday.
In Tha Sala district, roads were heavily flooded, making them impassable for vehicles in Tha Sala commune.
Residents had to use boats to reach their communities.
In Sichon district, a man was rescued after his pickup truck loaded with oil palm nuts got stuck in a flooded road in Sichon commune.
A rescue team came to the rescue of the driver, Trairong Laosakulsuk.
Mr Trairong said he was driving his vehicle on the road when runoff from the forest suddenly invaded the area and the water rose quickly.
He was unable to get his vehicle away in time.
He immediately got out of his pickup and stood on the palm oil nuts in the back of his vehicle.
Rescuers saw him and used a jet ski to rescue him.
Soldiers helped him get his pickup truck out of the flooded road, Mr. Trairong said.
Floods claimed two lives in Thung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Friday.
Niphon Boonsong, 76, slipped and hit his head on a water drain in Nong Hong commune while catching fish.
The same day, Boonchu Mankhong, 69, slipped into a ditch on his flooded rubber plantation.
In Chumphon, residents were caught off guard by the flash floods, and many were dismayed to see their furniture drifting away.
The meteorological department had earlier issued a warning about heavy rains that will affect the southern provinces of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Chumphon, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat from Saturday to Monday.
See also:
Floods devastate southern Thailand: 25 dead and 660,000 affected
Thailand: floods devastate rubber plantations in the south
Thailand ranked among the 4 countries most exposed to flooding
Source : Bangkok Post
