How Bad Did The Recent Bad Weather Affect You Personally?

[Liquid Soul]

This years November rains brought the worst floods since 2005, and whilst Samui was hit harder than Phangan I’m sure there are a lot of people that have been somewhat put out by our annual downfall, how did they affect you personally and your local community and what has been done about it?

Well I'll go first, I used to have a lovely rustic natural pine fence running the border of my land, until the normally small brook became a torrent of rapid water and ripped it out, there went 15,000 Baht but now we have some lovely live bamboo instead.

Most of our garden lighting went under and was therefore disconnected, now that the water has all gone it has revealed some lovely rusty up lighters, which still have to be replaced.

Our drive is still far to wet to even think about doing anything with it, compacted red sand and loose gravel churned nicely under heavy waters and 4x4's, so now it is more akin to a rally special stage than an entrance!! And at a 120m long it won’t be cheap to rectify!!

And maybe with a few more storms on the way the damage is not done yet for us anyway.

[mattias33]

This years November rains brought the worst floods since 2005, and whilst Samui was hit harder than Phangan I'm sure there are a lot of people that have been somewhat put out by our annual downfall, how did they affect you personally and your local community and what has been done about it?

Well I'll go first, I used to have a lovely rustic natural pine fence running the border of my land, until the normally small brook became a torrent of rapid water and ripped it out, there went 15,000 Baht but now we have some lovely live bamboo instead.

Most of our garden lighting went under and was therefore disconnected, now that the water has all gone it has revealed some lovely rusty up lighters, which still have to be replaced.

Our drive is still far to wet to even think about doing anything with it, compacted red sand and loose gravel churned nicely under heavy waters and 4x4's, so now it is more akin to a rally special stage than an entrance!! And at a 120m long it won't be cheap to rectify!!

And maybe with a few more storms on the way the damage is not done yet for us anyway.

Its rainseason in samui. We had about a week of raining (quite heavy) and then no rain for a week. Then came another 3-4 days of heavy rain. The island was quite flooded. I dont know what to say to people that got their house ruined and in some places people where stranded and could not leave their house for a few days.

I dont want to sound overintelligent and master people here but i say this:

If you live in a place that cant take (for whatever reason,housedamage,roadacces or whatever) 11 days of heavy rain, with a dry week in the middle of it, you might consider to..........i dont know....move? This is a tropical island. Its not unlightly to beleive we get this rain (or even worse) also next year, and next, and next. Infrastructure sucks on this island, we all know that. But i for one is prepared to have a rainseason every year, i expect it. Thats why i bought a house that have a 3 meter deep drainsystem all around it. Newly built powerlines and almost never powerbreaks. In the begining part of goastroad wich when it is as flooded as it ever become its 5 cm deep. I never worry. For the people that build a house along a road that floods after 11 days of rain, or the people that built a house that floods, i dont know, what can we say? Its Samui. We have a rainseason here sometimes. Normaly every year. Sometimes its heavy. Expect it, plan for it, and live with it.

Me myself had the only problems during this last flooding that i could not visit friends in certain areas. I had a friend coming from Norway who i wanted to have a drink with. He got here the day before rain started and was stuck in his place in lakeroad for some days. His Thai girl "swam" down to lamdin and so he got food but he didnt recommend us friends to come visit. Same with a friend in lamai. Just felt after seing the pictures on this forum, that i might wait a few days.

When we went on the weekly shopping we had to go bophut instead of south on ghostroad due to floods. Ok five minuites extra to big c but not a big deal. Most of the problems i seen on pictures since the Ban rak area never had real problems. And i did not have real problems. However, now when it is dry again, everybody that did have big problems may consider if it was bearable or not, because beleive me, this was not the last rain we had in samui. Might not be wrong to prepare yourself for more.

[SamuiBond]

This is a tropical island. Its not unlightly to beleive we get this rain (or even worse) also next year, and next, and next.

This is the fact. What you don't find here is hurricanes, tornadoes, wildwires, earthquakes, mudslides (part from small), tsunamis, snow- or sandstorms, extreme heat waves or drought... (figure out more...)

Expecting and living with the unevitable here is really fact of life. We all share the more damaged infrastructure. Some are more efected, some are unready but most long term habitants know that it is always possible in October - November when flooding is expected to come. Cursing but thinking "things could be worse".

[koheesti]

Bangrak beach road was almost unaffected.