Floods Batter Thailand's South

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Floods batter South

By The Nation

Residents flee as major flooding ravages Hat Yai after days of rain; Evacuation orders readied as more storms threaten the region

Songkhla province and its business district Hat Yai have been hit by major flooding after 40-hour downpours that were continuing yesterday evening. The crisis is worse than the flooding that hit the province 10 years ago.

"The situation in Hat Yai is worse than what happened 10 years ago, with this year's rainfall setting a record level, and with the Sadao reservoir and others full," said Mayor Phrai Phatthano.

He said 100 flat-bed boats had been readied and water pumps were set up in the areas at highest risk, Wat Hai Yai Nai and Kimyong market.

Residents in Hat Yai were fleeing upcountry from the heavily flooded urban areas in long queues of vehicles, causing traffic congestion in main thoroughfares.

"It's chaos down here," said a female resident who had been stuck in the traffic jam.

In Hat Yai Municipality, evacuation orders were at the ready ahead of floods expected to inundate the area further at about 10pm. Red flags were installed in busy areas in the evening to warn of the danger of flash floods.

A large group of people heading to Sadao district from Hat Yai in three buses were brought to a halt by floodwater reaching half the height of the vehicles.

Hospitals in Songkhla and 200 homes in Saba Yoi district were evacuated because of high floodwaters after days of downpours.

The floodwater level in Na Thawi was 20 centimetres away from breaching the district hospital, where 80 patients had been moved to the second floor of a building, as 2-metre sandbag barriers surrounding the compound could collapse because of the strong currents, said Dr Suwat Viriyapongsukit, director of the hospital.

The Television Pool is running news flashes and issuing warnings about floods and storms hitting seven Southern provinces on the Gulf of Thailand, including Songkhla. The next storm headed for the Southern region was expected to last from midnight to dawn, resulting in high tides and days of rainstorms, the Meteorology Department said.

The storms, after moving across the region from the Andaman Sea, may cause smaller storms in the Gulf of Thailand that will bring more heavy rain to coastal provinces on the eastern side. "Residents living in areas at risk of storms are advised to store food, medicine and supplies for emergency use," the statement said.

Patients and staff at Sadao Hospital were transferred to Hat Yai General Hospital, where medical supplies and liquid oxygen had been stored for use for another 14 days, at the direct order of the Public Health Ministry.

Another measure ordered for Sadao Hospital was evacuation of patients in case of lengthy flooding and off-site medical services with support from other hospitals unaffected by the flooding.

A villager in Sadao district, Thitiphorn Jai-ngarm, said rain began on Friday and continued, resulting in a 3-metre-high floodwater at her home. Power was turned off for safety reasons.

"No agencies have given us help, and all we can do now is help ourselves," she said.

In Saba Yoi district, 200 families whose homes were hit by 1-metre floods have been moved to higher ground. Their homes will be further inundated by water possibly reaching 2 metres and lasting for one or two days, local officials said.

In Hat Yai, many schools are closed and low-lying areas along canals are at risk of flooding because of the swelling waterways. Residents were advised to move their belongings to high ground and stay on alert for emergency evacuation to four locations prepared for them, Mayor Phrai said.

A flood in Ban Thung Lung in tambon Phatong, 30-50cm in height, forced residents to carry away their belongings while building makeshift dykes to prevent water entering their homes. An urgent warning later predicted flooding throughout Hat Yai by 9pm, Phrai said.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, two people, Nit Chinnawong and Surin Riyaphan, drowned, bringing flood fatalities across the country to 105, including three foreigners, as reported by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

The three unidentified foreigners were a Burmese, a Cambodian and a Dutchman.

In Phuket, a mudslide warning for 10 locations was issued while monitoring at those locations was underway. The areas at greatest risk are Ban Kalim, Ban Mai Riab, Ban Nua, Ban Chid Cheo and Wat Mai.

In Pattani, floods on main streets in urban areas caused heavy traffic congestion, and a warning was issued for fishing trawlers against going offshore.

About 2,650 families in Satun have suffered days of heavy rain, while 100 families in two districts in Narathiwat have faced chest-level floods.

-- The Nation 2010-11-02

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FLOODS

It's Songkhla's turn

Flash floods have hit Songkhla province on Monday after consecutive days of heavy rains.

Many hospitals have to evacuate their patients to higher grounds and schools are forced to suspend their classes.

-- The Nation 2010-11-02

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Reports: Severe Flooding in Songkla Kills 2

Media reports indicate that severe flooding in Songkla province has killed two residents. Unconfirmed reports indicate that one victim was electrocuted while the other was stuck in their car and was caught unawares by floodwaters. There have also been reports of electricity blackouts in some parts of Muang district of Songkla province.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-02

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Songkhla in deep crisis from heavy flash floods

Flash floods have paralysed Songkhla province on Tuesday with water levels in many places are more than three meters.

The province has been hit by depression which resulted in consecutive days of heavy rains, starting on Friday last week.

Hat Yai district, a business hub of the southern region, is under water about three meters depth. Many department stores, banks, houses are inundated. Songkhla authorities cut off the electricity as precaution measures.

Hat Yai Mayor Sawai Pattano described the situation as in deep crisis.

In an interview with the Nation Channel, he said the floods which came just last night have affected nearly a million of people.

-- The Nation 2010-11-02

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No electricity in Hat Yai. 300 ppl get stuck in Lee Gardens hotel. #ch3 /via @tukky_nt

Relief supplies, boats are being flown to Hat Yai on board C-130 military aircraft /via@tulsathit

Hat Yai flood crisis is said to be worse than yr 2000 /via@tulsathit

80% of Hat Yai submerged and flood waters rise to 1.2 m at Kimyong and Santisuk market. /TR @NationChannel24 /via @veen_NT

Flood report: Songhkla's Hat Yai district cut off by heavy flooding; Hat Yai facing 3-metre flood, airport operating normally; Heavy rain in Nakhon Si Thammarat /thaivisa_news

[webfact]

SOUTHERN FLOODS

Songkhla is in deep crisis : Hat Yai Mayor

Flash floods have paralysed Songkhla province on Tuesday as water levels in many places are more than three meters.

The province has been hit by depression which resulted in consecutive days of heavy rains, starting on Saturday.

Hat Yai district, a business hub of the southern region, is under water about three meters depth. Many department stores, banks, houses are inundated. Songkhla authorities cut off the electricity as precaution measures.

Hat Yai Mayor Sawai Pattano described the situation as in deep crisis.

In an interview with the Nation Channel, he said the floods which came just last night have affected nearly a million of people.

“There are reports of a lot of people get stuck and stranded in their own houses without food and electricity. We are in deep crisis. The flood came just very fast and the water level is rising,” he said.

Reports said the heavy rains still hit the province as a result from the depression. The flash floods also hit other districts, Sa Dao, Na Thawee and Songkhla.

A local villager said the water level is higher than the previous years. “My house is a stilt house. In the previous years, the flood's water level reached just the second step of the ladder from the ground. But now the water level is just one ladder step before it reaches the floor of the house," she said.

-- The Nation 2010-11-02

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Had Yai Cut Off by Severe Flooding

The city of Had Yai in Songkla province has been cut off from the rest of Southern Thailand as severe flooding has inundated major roads leading in and out of the city. One death has been confirmed so far. The tropical depression has moved on and is now hitting Satul province very hard.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-02

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Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation: Floods hit seven southern provinces, affecting 6,831 households and 20,493 people /MCOT

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Hat Yai Post office

© Photo: André Raffael

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PM discusses flood situation, emergency aid with southern provincial governors via video conference, to visit flood-hit Songkhla after Cabinet meeting /MCOT

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One fatality reported, as Songkhla's Hat Yai district isolated by heavy flooding

HAT YAI, Nov 2 -- Heavy rains from the tropical depression currently in the Gulf of Thailand have brought heavy flooding to Hat Yai in Songkhla province, the main commercial district in Thailand's South.

The city is cut off, isolated from other parts of the region as rising floodwaters pour into the city, stalling all business and sending residents scrambling for assistance.

Hat Yai mayor Prai Pattano said floodwaters cover 80 per cent of the district, affecting more than 30,000 households, with an estimated 10,000 people stranded in the city centre, and the water keeps rising, with the waters in some areas reached car roofs and the second floor of commercial buildings.

He said the surrounding areas were also affected with no electricity and pipe water while all roads heading to the city centre were cut off by the flood. One resident of Tha Kian community died from flood-related electrocution.

U-Tapao canal in Hat Yai is rising continously and the Sadao reservoir could not absorb the high volume of water. Elders and children were evacuated to Wat Korhong municipality school. Hat Yai district is the commercial centre and main tourist town in the South.

Acting Hat Yai Hospital director Dr Surachai Lamlertkittikul said the water is rising around the hospital even though the rain stopped five hours earlier. The hospital has evacuated patients from the ground floor to its fifth floor. He said the hospital currently has 559 patients and 662 family members excluding staff and medical doctors.

Four hundred students of Hatyaiwittayakarn School are reportedly stranded at their school in the wake of incessant heavy rain and flooding since Monday.

Meanwhile, rain was reported in all 13 districts of Narathiwat as heavy rain in the province for four consecutive days caused the three main rivers -- the Sungai Kolok, the Bang Nara, and the Sai Buri -- to overflow, flooding residents along the rivers in nine districts.

Main roads were inundated forcing more than 10 schools to close indefinitely.

Songkhla on Monday declared ten districts as disaster zones as continued heavy rain triggered widespread floods in the province.

The Meteorological Department, meanwhile, issued warning of tropical depression in Gulf of Thailand.

In its statement this morning, the department said the tropical depression centered over Trang, southern Thailand with sustained winds of about 50 km/hr. It is now moving west at a speed of 15 km/hr to cover Krabi and Phuket and through the Andaman Sea Tuesday morning. Widespread torrential rain is likely over much of the south from Surat Thani southward with waves of 3-5 metres.

People in risky areas along hill slopes near waterways and in the lowlands should beware of severe weather and possible flash flooding. Residents along the eastern South Coast should beware of force wind and high surge inshore. All ships in the Gulf keep ashore over this period.

For the nest 3-4 days, the ridge of intense high pressure from China will still cover Thailand. Cool and cold weather with strong winds are likely in upper part of the country while the minimum temperature in the upper North and Northeast reaches 12-16 degrees Celsius and on mountaintops at 6-12 degrees Celsius. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-11-02

[animatic]

So far the newer storm drains are working, but raining madly now.

Electricity off, and electric repair phones always busy.

No end in sight, but better than many places, so far.

Well finally reached the electric company. On the list,

but who knows when they will fix it. Same as ever.

Edited November 2, 2010 by animatic

[george]

Weather forecast and current conditions (all provinces):

http://weather.thaivisa.com

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Southern Train Services Stop at Surat Thani

Due to severe flooding in many provinces of Southern Thailand, the railway authority has announced that train services to Southern Thailand stop at Surat Thani province and do not go any further from there.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-02

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Songkhla announces all 16 districts disaster areas; Strong floodwater flows preclude emergency relief services in Hat Yai /MCOT

[thaiedward]

So far the newer storm drains are working, but raining madly now.

Electricity off, and electric repair phones always busy.

No end in sight, but better than many places, so far.

Well finally reached the electric company. On the list,

but who knows when they will fix it. Same as ever.

Hello, respected sir:

In what region do you live?

I hope that you and yours enjoy a prompt recovery.

Regards

[webfact]

Loxinfo Internet blackout imminent, optic provider warns. BKK->SGP link going down due to power cut in Hat Yai. /via @hwc001

Related topic:

[sbk]

Animatic is in Samui, I believe.

And the general opinion I hear is at least Southerners haven't been forced to wait a week for government aid as happened in the major flooding of 2000.

[cdnvic]

Looks like a tropical cyclone could be forming right over top of the region.

1. NORTH INDIAN OCEAN AREA (MALAY PENINSULA WEST TO COAST OF AFRICA): A. TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY: NONE. B. TROPICAL DISTURBANCE SUMMARY: (1) AN AREA OF CONVECTION HAS PERSISTED NEAR 6.9N 100.6E, APPROXIMATELY 235 NM NORTH-NORTHWEST OF KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA. ANIMATED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS FLARING CONVECTION, ASSOCIATED WITH A LOOSELY ORGANIZED LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC), PERSISTING OVER THE MAYLAY PENINSULA. OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS, SURFACE OBSERVATIONS FROM HAT YAI INTERNATIONAL (VTSS) HAVE INDICATED VARIABLE WINDS (10-15 KNOTS) OUT OF THE WEST- NORTHWEST WITH A 24 HOUR PRESSURE DECREASE OF 6 MB'S (OBSERVATION OF 1003 MB AT 01/16Z). UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS INDICATES BROAD UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE WITH LOW VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (10 TO 15 KNOTS). MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 20 TO 25 KNOTS. MINIMUM SEA LEVEL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 1003 MB. DUE TO PERSISTENT DEEP CONVECTION AND FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL CONDITIONS, THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS IS FAIR.

Source: Joint Typhoon Warning Center http://www.usno.navy.mil/JTWC/

[george]

More than 40,000 residents in 12 districts of Narathiwat province evacuated their homes in 223 villages as flood waters rise @AranyaNationTV

[george]

Latest photo: Kim Yong market in Hat Yai: http://twitpic.com/335zyq RT @aunonline

[george]

Video: An aerial view of Hat Yai submerged

View here: http://bit.ly/cR2TBJ /via Nation Channel

[george]

A flooded housing estate in Hat Yai:

http://twitpic.com/335r6p /via @idongphoto

[george]

Flash floods strand thousands in Hat Yai

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK, November 2, 2010 (AFP) - Thailand battled Tuesday to rescue thousands of people stranded in their homes after flash floods -- several metres deep in places -- swept through a southern city, cutting power and communications.

Heavy flooding has already killed more than 100 people around the country since October 10 and with the disaster spreading there were fears of more casualties.

Rising waters began to inundate Hat Yai, a city of more than 150,000 in Songkhla province, late Monday after days of heavy downpours, affecting tens of thousands of people, possibly including foreign tourists.

"I believe that thousands are trapped in their houses," Viroch Phomchai, regional director of the government's department of disaster prevention and mitigation, told AFP.

"I've tried to contact large hotels in Hat Yai city but communications are down, so I think many tourists are stranded," he said.

The area is particularly popular with people from Malaysia and Singapore.

Television pictures showed some buildings submerged almost up to their roofs in the low-lying city near the southern border.

In neighbouring Malaysia, schools were shut and more than 12,000 people evacuated in two northern states due to floods.

Earlier, Hat Yai mayor Prai Pattano had estimated that tens of thousands of people were stranded in their homes because of the flood water, which he said was three to four metres (up to 13 feet) deep in some areas.

The authorities estimate that almost six million people across Thailand have been affected by the disaster over the past three weeks, with homes submerged and farmland or cattle destroyed.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva described the floods as "a huge natural calamity".

"There are many serious problems in the south as all types of communications as well as roads were cut off. I will focus on how to rescue stranded people," he told reporters before a planned trip to the region.

"The water level is very high and there is no sign that it will begin to recede," he said.

A hospital in the region was forced to evacuate patients on Monday after the area was hit by flash floods.

All train services to Hat Yai were halted after two-metre-deep waters flooded the track and platform, the state-owned rail operator said in a statement.

A storm centred over Krabi province -- an area on the Andaman coast popular with tourists -- could bring waves up to five metres high, the meteorological department warned.

The government sent several plane-loads of emergency items to the south along with two ships which will provide medical and logistical support for the relief operation.

"Our mission priorities are to save lives and bring food and medicine," said defence ministry spokesman Colonel Thanatip Sawangsaeng.

Power and telephone communications on the popular tourist island of Samui were reported to have been disrupted, along with ferry services.

Samui airport was closed temporarily due to heavy downpours and poor visibility, affecting an estimated 1,400 passengers on domestic and international flights.

In total at least 104 people, including three foreigners, have died in Thailand because of the disaster, which has affected dozens of provinces around the country, although the waters have receded in some areas.

Most of the victims were in central and eastern regions, with just two deaths reported so far in the south.

Bangkok has been on standby but has so far avoided major flooding.

Abhisit said his government had spent almost half of its emergency budget of 47 billion baht (1.6 billion dollars) in the past few days to help flood victims across the country and would have to find more funds.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-11-02

[george]

Samui update:

Entire island has no power. All banks, Big C, Tesco etc are closed. Various sources predict from 1 to 2 days without power.

[george]

Pics: High tide at Samui beach

http://yfrog.com/mipbrgj

http://yfrog.com/5mgokcj

[Amir]

Anyone knows an official emergency number to call for infos in Hat Yai. Can not reach my relatives as the phone lines and cells are cut off since this morning.

Thanks

[O3cubed]

Hi, does anyone know how I could get in touch with people in Hat Yai? I have relatives there, but haven't been able to get a hold of them by phone.

Thank you!

[george]

Hi, does anyone know how I could get in touch with people in Hat Yai? I have relatives there, but haven't been able to get a hold of them by phone.

Thank you!

Flood centre in Hat Yai call 074 200 000, 074 200 007 or Hotline 1559

[somchai jones]

Electricity off in Bang Po this morning but been fine since lunch time.

Even my ADSL is working now too!

Edited November 2, 2010 by somchai jones