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50,000 tourists flee Thai islands, others left stranded ahead of Tropical Storm Pabuk

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snoop1130 Legendary Member

snoop1130

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50,000 tourists flee Thai islands, others left stranded ahead of Tropical Storm Pabuk

 

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Image: Channel 3

 

Up to 50,000 thousands tourists have fled some Thailand’s most popular islands as the country’s southern provinces prepare to be pounded by Tropical Storm Pabuk.

 

Earlier today, government officials announced that all ferry services to the islands from the mainland were suspended.

 

AFP reported that up to 50,000 tourists had left Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao by Wednesday.

 

Bangkok Airways and other airlines have also announced that flights had been suspended, leaving many tourists stranded with no way of leaving the islands.

 

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Image: Channel 3

 

Pabuk, which is set to be one of the biggest tropical storms to hit the country for more than 30 years, is expected to hit the Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan on Friday night before continuing to Surat Thani and the mainland on Saturday.

 

While no official evacuation has been ordered, the Thai government has warned that tropical storm Pabuk is likely to cause serious widespread damage to provinces in the south, particularly Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat.

 

All southern provinces from Phetchaburi to Yala, including  Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi have been warned to expect heavy rain and strong winds from Thursday through Sunday.

 

“There will be heavy rainfall and we have to prepared for flooding or an impact on transportation,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Thursday.

 

Forecasters have said that while Pabuk is currently generating winds of up to 65mph, it is unlikely to intensify into a typhoon.

 

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Image: Workpoint - Nakhon Si Thammarat on Wednesday

 

“But we expect waves as high as five or seven metres (22ft) near the eye of the storm. Normally in the Gulf of Thailand there are only two metre high waves,” Phuwieng Prakammaintara, director general at the Thai Meteorological Department, told reporters.

 

“It's difficult to predict the severity of the storm so people should comply with authorities' recommendations.”

 

Meanwhile, WorkPoint News reported on what is believed to be first death in Thailand from Tropical Storm Pabuk.

 

According to the news network, a Russian man died while trying to rescue his daughter who ignored warning signs and got in difficulty swimming in strong surf.

 

The daughter survived, but her father failed to regain consciousness after being was swept against rocks.

 
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-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-1-3
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webfact Grand Master Member

webfact

Posted
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Thousands flee as Pabuk blows in

By The Nation

 

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Fishermen yesterday move their boats up on to the road at Laem Talumphuk in Pak Phanang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province, as they brace for tropical storm Pabuk.

 

30,000 evacuated in Nakhon Si Thammarat, tourists leave islands in droves as south braces for tropical storm today. Airport closes, boats anchored and schools shut as people prepare for gales of up to 95kph, heavy downpours, floods.

 

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PEOPLE LIVING along the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat province are moving to higher ground as they brace for the arrival of tropical storm Pabuk today.

 

The Nakhon Si Thammarat airport was closed last night, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said yesterday.

 

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The closure affects flights provided by Nok Air, AirAsia and Lion Air. Airports of Thailand has instructed airports in Surat Thani, Chumphon, Ranong, Trang and Narathiwat to closely monitor the storm and take measures to deal with its impact. 

 

The Meteorological Department announced yesterday that Pabuk had entered the Gulf of Thailand and was moving slowly northwest toward Nakhon Si Thammarat, threatening the entire eastern coast of the South with heavy rainstorms, strong gales and storm surge. 

 

Weather forecasts are projecting the eye of the storm will pass over Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Hua Sai district today with a maximum wind speed of around 90 kilometres per hour. 

 

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Pabuk is also expected to bring heavy downpours of up to 300 millimetres daily, plus flash floods and landslides in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Phatthalung, Surat Thani, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Chumphon, Satun, Trang, Krabi and Phuket.

 

Wattana Kanbua, director of the Marine Meteorological Centre, also warned of very rough sea conditions, saying waves could reach 7 metres high in the Gulf of Thailand and up to 3 metres in the Andaman Sea.

 

With strong gales and high waves expected, Wattana said people living along the eastern coasts of Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao, as well as the eastern coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla will be hit by a storm surge. He suggested everybody should stay away from the coastline during the storm. 

 

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More than 30,000 residents of Nakhon Si Thammarat’s six seaside districts have been moving to evacuation centres set up amid concerns that Pabuk will cause severe damages. Many fear this storm will be similar to the tropical storm Harriet, which hit the province in October 1962, killing over 900 people and leaving more than 16,000 others displaced. 

 

These six districts are Pak Phanang, Hua Sai, Tha Sala, Sichon, Khanom and Muang Nakhon Si Thammarat. 

 

Sichon district chief Piboon Nakthippiman said the evacuation operation in his area had been conducted smoothly and that more than 2,400 people have already taken shelter at the Wat Huai Saithong School. He also said the centre was fully equipped with all the supplies and equipment needed to endure the impact of the storm. 

 

Nongyao Rodkaew, one of the evacuees, said that though the official evacuation operation was executed efficiently, she was worried about the storm causing extensive damage. 

 

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Along with residents of the six districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat, people living on the coastal areas of Songkhla, Surat Thani, Phatthalung and Chumphon have also been evacuated to higher ground. Schools in these provinces were closed today. 

 

All ships in the Gulf of Thailand have been anchored since yesterday, while flights from affected provinces will be suspended today. 

 

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Tourism on both sides of the peninsula has also been disrupted, with visitors fleeing popular destinations like Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao. Ferry services and boat tours to Koh Phi Phi and other islands in Krabi province on the Andaman Sea were also stopped today. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361587

 
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-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-04
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Samui Bodoh Advanced Member

Samui Bodoh

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As my user name suggests, I am on Samui. It is just before 6 AM and there is only light rain at the moment.

 

That said, my cats have gotten all antsy; somehow they know something is up. I have often thought that if humans truly understood animals, we'd be much more tuned in and take far, far better care of the planet.

 

 

 

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kotsak Gold Member

kotsak

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16 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Note the photo of the fisherman trying to roll the boat out of harms way and there are other similar photos in the media.

 

Why no much more efficient help to do this from local authorities or the army?

 

 

When I saw that photo it reminded me that not much has changed for some people since the Corinthian Diolkos from almost 3 millenia ago.

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roo860 Diamond Member

roo860

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Note the photo of the fisherman trying to roll the boat out of harms way and there are other similar photos in the media.
 
Why no much more efficient help to do this from local authorities or the army?
 
 
I suppose if there had been a accident with the boat and a car, they would have called it anchor failure!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

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ParadiseLost Gold Member

ParadiseLost

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2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Note the photo of the fisherman trying to roll the boat out of harms way and there are other similar photos in the media.

 

Why no much more efficient help to do this from local authorities or the army?

Way too busy protecting their smuggling operations bases down there...

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Damrongsak Platinum Member

Damrongsak

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I've been through a few tropical storms, if not almost hurricanes here in the USA.  And one nasty tornado just up the street.  Loads of fun.  Not as bad as winter ice storms where power is out for days and there's no heat in freezing temps. 

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Youlike Advanced Member

Youlike

Posted
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3 hours ago, scorecard said:

Note the photo of the fisherman trying to roll the boat out of harms way and there are other similar photos in the media.

 

Why no much more efficient help to do this from local authorities or the army?

 

 

Why don't they use a car to tow it? Or an elephant if there's no car around?

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Easy Come Easy Go Apprentice Member

Easy Come Easy Go

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Worst storm in 30 years, yet the government doesn't provide an official evacuation order? Says it all really... 

Nice way for the tourism economy to start 2019 :wink:
One thing that often doesn't get thought about in these situations, is the amount of shredded, torn and broken asbestos that is going to occur from such a storm. Thailand has a love affair with the stuff as it's everywhere, so expect fibres and pieces to be all over the place when the storm departs. 

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harriott456 Apprentice Member

harriott456

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6 minutes ago, Easy Come Easy Go said:

Worst storm in 30 years, yet the government doesn't provide an official evacuation order? Says it all really... 

Nice way for the tourism economy to start 2019 :wink:
One thing that often doesn't get thought about in these situations, is the amount of shredded, torn and broken asbestos that is going to occur from such a storm. Thailand has a love affair with the stuff as it's everywhere, so expect fibres and pieces to be all over the place when the storm departs. 

i guess its the all thais fault for the storm too!

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