Hundreds evacuated as flash floods sweep deep South

By THE NATION

 

 

Nearly 40,000 households in the deep South have been hit by flash flooding after five days of heavy rain, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Friday (January 8).

 

Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani have been lashed by floods and mudslides since Monday, with 37,317 households affected in 27 districts.

 

Eight districts in Yala province were declared disaster zones on Friday after the Bang Lang Dam in Bannang Sata district overflowed. Some areas, such as Tha Sab subdistrict in Muang district, have reported flood levels of over 1 metre.

 

The department said it has evacuated 391 flood victims into seven temporary shelters – three in Narathiwat, and two each in Yala and Songkhla. No injuries or deaths have been reported so far.

 

Flooded communities have been given water pumps survival kits, while local officials are gauging the damage to public infrastructure and people’s houses.

 

Flood victims can contact the Disaster Hotline on 1784 or via Line ID @1784DDPM.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400925

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-08

 

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I was in Yala City today and, though the city proper seems mostly un-flooded, I can't say the same for the outlying areas. I drove through small muslim villages right outside west of the city and almost every home is flooded at least one meter high. Many roads are more or less flooded too and taking a wrong turn could have you see your path blocked by water. I had to carefully drive my gf's Mazda 2 over a flooded bridge after deeming it safe to cross. Can't say I enjoyed the experience.

On the flyover to the 418 it was teeming with parked cars and the whole area west of the Pattani river was basically chaos.

 

In conclusion, DO NOT VISIT Yala at the moment unless you absolutely have to and, if so, try approaching from the east.

15 hours ago, MarcelV said:

In conclusion, DO NOT VISIT Yala at the moment unless you absolutely have to and, if so, try approaching from the east.

Or by boat

Rode my bike (GS1200) from Betong to Satun on Thursday.

Many landslides on the Betong road, all cleared overnight making the road passable by Thursday morning. They did a great job.

The water level in the Bang Lang reservoir was very high so the gates had to be opened to prevent the dam from bursting. This allowed major flooding downstream through Yaha and South of Yala. Many minor roads were impassable and major roads were under water in areas but still passable. 9 hours to do a 4 hour ride.