Flooding in Ubon

[Michael Hare]

The flood waters from the Mun River are rapidly rising as the water from upcountry reaches Ubon. This morning I was able to drive from Ubon city out to the Ubon Ratchathani university on the Det Udom road. The ring road pass Central Plaza is open for two lanes only. The eastern lane (highest lane). But one section is closed to outbound traffic. Coming out of Ubon at Home Pro, the vehicles have to turn in and go around Central Plaza and then turn right to join the ring road again . The road to Benchamat school past the golf driving range is open. For inbound traffic, they continue all the way into Ubon.

 

How long this will last depends on the water. Places like “The River” are cut off. I saw vehicles sitting in the western side lanes almost submerged in water.

 

For those wanting to come from Warin into Ubon city going past Do Home, Army trucks will ferry you across. I am not sure if highrise pickup trucks are allowed.

 

Yesterday I had to drive north to Phon Thong district in the northern part of Roi-et province. I was informed that the Ubon-Yasothon-Roi-et Road was closed in several places. I drove up through Amnart to Loeng Nok Tha and turned left and drove to Phon Thong. No problems. All the roads are open there.

[bergen]

The Northern part of the ring road passing Chayangkhun, Kemmarat, Tan Sum, and Phibun intersections was ok yesterday

[Farma]

Things can change fast.  (pic from social media)

[Essex Reject]

It's a great time to be alive..

[webfact]

17 Ubon Ratchathani districts declared flood disaster zones

By The Nation

 

 

The Ubon Ratchathani provincial administration has declared 17 districts disaster zones as the flood situation in the northeastern province continued to worsen on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1122853-17-ubon-ratchathani-districts-declared-flood-disaster-zones/

 

[Michael Hare]

8 hours ago, bergen said:

The Northern part of the ring road passing Chayangkhun, Kemmarat, Tan Sum, and Phibun intersections was ok yesterday

Thank you Bergen. I came home that way this afternoon. No problems. No traffic jams. The water levels are now higher than the big flood in 2002 but not quite to the level of the 1978 flood. I remember that flood. Roads to Ubon were closed but one could travel on the train to Warin and then get a boat across to Ubon city centre. 

[Farma]

Another item from local social media today

[ubonjoe]

My daughters school have canceled classes for tomorrow and Friday. So apparently they only expect it to get worse than it is now.

[Patriot]

Good evening. 

Is Central open for business. (Thursday)

If so I presume the best access is through town and east on Sappasit?? Any knowledge/tips would be useful. 

Many thanks

[ubonrthai]

The water has almost stopped rising. Click on the red blinking box on this page and go to M.7. Hopefully it will start dropping in a day or two. It's already starting to go down in Kheuang Nai.

[alanrchase]

The article I have just read in the Bangkok Post suggests the flooding will get worse tomorrow and last over the weekend. 

[sammieuk1]

According to Thai media the PM is going to pray for you so nothing to worry about good luck your on your own????

[MeMock]

Worst floods in living memory (80+ years) in my little old village in southern Ubon. I believe that there is more to come for Ubon city.

[Damrongsak]

Flat land is good when things are good.  I'm more of a hillbilly.  I like to be up a hill a ways, out of the flood zone.

[SantiSuk]

On 9/11/2019 at 8:10 PM, Patriot said:

Good evening. 

Is Central open for business. (Thursday)

If so I presume the best access is through town and east on Sappasit?? Any knowledge/tips would be useful. 

Many thanks

Dunno whether Central Plaza mall was open yesterday but the western side of the Ring Road was still passable, but with backed up traffic due to 2 lanes not 4 being used (and diversions on one of the directions through Central's car park). It will not take much of a rise in the water levels to completely cut the western side.

 

The two Warin-Ubon bridges ('town bridge' and the 'UbonRak bridge') were impassable yesterday and seemingly likely to remain so for some days unless there is a miraculous reduction in the run-off flow rate coming down the Mun River.

 

The only dry route yesterday from the Southern side of Ubon into the town centre involved heading east-bound along the Ring Road South and crossing over the Mun Bridge at Ring Road E. The map posted from social media above by Farma shows this and seems to imply that the recommendation was to go all the way round to the Amnat/Chayangkhul intersection to turn left off the Ring Road down Chayangkhul. Might have been the only route, though it's possible that the the Trakan Rd route would have worked or even cutting across the top end of Huai Wang Nong. I haven't seen anyone commenting on whether the Tamsun Road, that would take you past the southern end of Huai Wang Nong, is blocked (probably is, given the map above).

 

Source: various social media postings, but particularly your Warin South near-neighbour, Derek, who was out and about and using the eastern approaches and coming back via the Central Plaza area. Derek recommends using the Phibun Rd to get out to the Ring Road just south of the Ring Rd E Mun bridge - surmises that it is lighter traffic than using the Ring Road South.
 

All this is yesterday day time info. Today and the next few days could be different/worse.

 

Edit/PS: haven't seen anyone comment about whether that extension of Saphasit over the Mun Diversion and to Central Plaza/Ring Road West is open

[SantiSuk]

I should have added:

 

A major national newspaper that I am unable to link/quote here (due to "The Nation's" sponsorship/relationship with ThaiV) had an article yesterday evening suggesting there is a massive quantity of water heading down the Mun and due to hit Ubon today (Friday).

[Michael Hare]

8 minutes ago, SantiSuk said:

Dunno whether Central Plaza mall was open yesterday but the western side of the Ring Road was still passable, but with backed up traffic due to 2 lanes not 4 being used (and diversions on one of the directions through Central's car park). It will not take much of a rise in the water levels to completely cut the western side.

 

The two Warin-Ubon bridges ('town bridge' and the 'UbonRak bridge') were impassable yesterday and seemingly likely to remain so for some days unless there is a miraculous reduction in the run-off flow rate coming down the Mun River.

 

The only dry route yesterday from the Southern side of Ubon into the town centre involved heading east-bound along the Ring Road South and crossing over the Mun Bridge at Ring Road E. The map posted from social media above by Farma shows this and seems to imply that the recommendation was to go all the way round to the Amnat/Chayangkhul intersection to turn left off the Ring Road down Chayangkhul. Might have been the only route, though it's possible that the the Trakan Rd route would have worked or even cutting across the top end of Huai Wang Nong. I haven't seen anyone commenting on whether the Tamsun Road, that would take you past the southern end of Huai Wang Nong, is blocked (probably is, given the map above).

 

Source: various social media postings, but particularly your Warin South near-neighbour, Derek, who was out and about and using the eastern approaches and coming back via the Central Plaza area. Derek recommends using the Phibun Rd to get out to the Ring Road just south of the Ring Rd E Mun bridge - surmises that it is lighter traffic than using the Ring Road South.
 

All this is yesterday day time info. Today and the next few days could be different/worse.

 

Edit/PS: haven't seen anyone comment about whether that extension of Saphasit over the Mun Diversion and to Central Plaza/Ring Road West is open

Hello SantiSuk. This morning at 6;30 am I came out from my home near Hop Inn and was unable to drive straight across the little Mun River past Central Plaza on that ring road. I believe the road from Ben school over the Little Mun River to Central is still open (just), though the driving range is under water. I came out to the university using the eastern ring road. Traffic was very light but I expect it to mount up during the day. In the 2002 floods this road was under water but after that the road was raised up.

 

The main problem this time is that since the 2002 floods, so much land has been raised up either side of the western ring road. Central, The River, Home Hub etc. The water is seeking out new pathways to seep to. 

 

I expect the flood waters to take a month or longer to go down. I say this, because in most years we receive 1-2 tropical cyclones at the end of September to early October. And upcountry, the dam gates at the Ubon Rat dam in Nampong and the Lat Paow dam in Kalasin may be opened to release water down the Chi River. Releasing dam water caused the floods in Ubon in 1978, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

[Michael Hare]

56 minutes ago, SantiSuk said:

I should have added:

 

A major national newspaper that I am unable to link/quote here (due to "The Nation's" sponsorship/relationship with ThaiV) had an article yesterday evening suggesting there is a massive quantity of water heading down the Mun and due to hit Ubon today (Friday).

That would be correct. One of my staff just came across the river on the army trucks. much higher than two days ago. I heard that in and around Haui Wang Nong there is extensive flooding and traffic jams. The road in front of the Laithong hotel is under water and water is in the basement rooms at the Sappasit hospital. 

 

 

[FarFlungFalang]

11 minutes ago, Michael Hare said:

That would be correct. One of my staff just came across the river on the army trucks. much higher than two days ago. I heard that in and around Haui Wang Nong there is extensive flooding and traffic jams. The road in front of the Laithong hotel is under water and water is in the basement rooms at the Sappasit hospital. 

 

 

The water you are getting in Ubon now has left a trail of dead rice and cassava crops.I fear the full effects of this flood are yet to be felt.My wife who is 53 yrs old has never seen water this high in the province of Yasothon.

[SantiSuk]

Hope the Southern and Eastern Ring Road holds dry then Michael. If the Western Ring Road is now impassable that reduces the only entrance into central Ubon to be from the Northern quadrant - essentially Amnat (Chayangkhun) and Yaso (Chaengsanit) highways.

 

Has potentially serious implications for food etc supplies into the City if the Southern/Eastern Ring Road + Phibun Rd gets blocked Many supplies would normally come from the South and West.

 

The diversion for southern and western traffic to get across to Yaso/Amnat highways to gain access to Ubon is lengthy. You'd have to aim for further north up the Yasothon highway than Kueang Nai as the road between Sisaket (Khantararom) and Keuang Nai has been passenger ferry across the Chi flood plain only for several days.

[Yinn]

Ubon yesterday.

 

[Michael Hare]

The photos tell the story.

 

This afternoon it took me 50 minutes from the Charoen Sri market, Warin, to reach the Chayangkul intersection via the eastern ring road. 

 

My wife informs me that the vegetable and fruit section in Tops supermarket at Central is low on quality products.

[Isaanbiker]

`It's currently in the news on TV 32. Saddening and frightening at the same time.

 

     We got hit by a flood in Sisaket a couple of years back and we'll never forget that. 

 

  I hope it's not getting worse. Best of luck to all of you!! 

 

    

[Isaanbiker]

On 9/13/2019 at 1:32 PM, Yinn said:

Ubon yesterday.

 

Very sad and tragic. Thanks for the photos. 

[Isaanbiker]

On 9/13/2019 at 8:10 AM, SantiSuk said:

I should have added:

 

A major national newspaper that I am unable to link/quote here (due to "The Nation's" sponsorship/relationship with ThaiV) had an article yesterday evening suggesting there is a massive quantity of water heading down the Mun and due to hit Ubon today (Friday).

You were so right. We're watching it on TV and it's not fun to see that. I hope that you're all safe. 

[Michael Hare]

One side of the ring road from Central Plaza to the Mun River is open. 

[DreamRider]

Good morning. 

There is a bearded guy, hair tied back who is raising huge amounts of money for the relocated folk on Warin and UBON. 

What is his story, what is his beef with the central government (or vice-versa) and of what, if anything, has he been accused?

i tried following it on the Channel 7 this morning but lost the thread. I did notice “gong ngern” on someone’s tweet. Furthermore I’ve asked my wife but, unfortunately, her powers of explanation are worse than mine. !!

Thanks

[tifino]

... right from the top...down.... the authority is still in denial.

 - and they don't like tall poppys showing them up ????

[ballpoint]

1 hour ago, DreamRider said:

Good morning. 

There is a bearded guy, hair tied back who is raising huge amounts of money for the relocated folk on Warin and UBON. 

What is his story, what is his beef with the central government (or vice-versa) and of what, if anything, has he been accused?

i tried following it on the Channel 7 this morning but lost the thread. I did notice “gong ngern” on someone’s tweet. Furthermore I’ve asked my wife but, unfortunately, her powers of explanation are worse than mine. !!

Thanks

The bearded guy is actor, and chairman of the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, Bin Bunleurit.  He handed out 1 million of his own money, prompting others to donate,  raising over 100 million in the first 48 hours, and causing the government to arrange a telethon style fund raiser.

 

"A well known Thai actor and humanitarian activist has generated a wave of support and cash to assist tens of thousands of households in flooded provinces in Thailand’s northern provinces. It has led to the government launching a TV appeal to raise much-needed cash for those impacted and in need."

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2019/09/17/thai-people-in-need-flooding-tv-telethon-actor-bin-bunluerit-government-100-million-baht/

[DreamRider]

Thank you