Mudslides Hit Southern Thailand Provinces

[george]

Mudslides hit southern provinces

SURAT THANI, Nov 14 -- Fifteen stranded local residents were evacuated from their homes following heavy rain and mudslides in Thailand's southern province of Surat Thani Saturday night while heavy downpours triggered mudslides in Songkhla province.

Caused by cumulative heavy rains, the mudslides late Saturday blocked access to four villages in Surat Thani's Chaiya district, according to Pak Mark subdistrict head, Chakpong Sookmee.

Fifteen villagers were stranded but were later evacuated from the danger area by emergency workers. About 380 people were forced to take temporary refuge at a village school, Mr Chakpong said.

In Songkhla province, heavy downpours battered the province overnight Saturday, forcing concerned officials to closely monitor the rainfall on fears of a landslide in Klong Hoy Kong district.

The province was hit by heavy rains two weeks ago raising fears of further rain and flood disasters disturbing people in the province.

To date, owners of more than 200 damaged homes in Songkhla’s Sathing Phra district are awaiting government assistance as the roofs of their houses were damaged. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-11-14

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FLOOD

Alert over possible landslides in south

By The Nation

Villages in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Chawang district remain at risk of landslides after a crack was found in a nearby mountain stretching more than one kilometre.

Officials are closely monitoring the situation around the Khao Luang mountain range.

Apirak Kosayodhin, who heads the coordination centre for flood relief operations, said yesterday many areas of Surat Thani and Chumphon were also at risk of landslides.

In Surat Thani, more than 300 residents in Chai Ya district have already been evacuated because of the problem a real threat in mountainous areas during flood seasons.

In the past two months, floods have ravaged many provinces and floodrelated deaths have risen to 223. Heavy damage has also been done to homes and farmland.

At the Hat Yai Waterworks Office, floodwater swept away 58 cylinders containing toxic chlorine two weeks ago. The office has retrieved most of the yellow cylinders, but 14 remain unaccounted for.

“They’re extremely dangerous. If anyone finds a cylinder, he or she should alert us immediately,” Thira Prasopsak, the local waterworks office chief, said yesterday.

Rescue workers, police, and volunteers have been looking for the cylinders in a bid to prevent a tragedy. If improperly opened, they could cause serious health risks or death.

Floodwater, meanwhile, has subsided in Hat Yai. However, in many other parts, flooding remains a big problem. Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said up to 264 schools were likely to remain closed today due to inundation.

“These schools are in floodhit central or southern provinces.”

Chinnaworn said the flooding not only upset students’ learning schedules but damaged school buildings and equipment. “Now we are thinking about the construction of elevated school buildings in floodprone areas so as to avoid or reduce damage.”

Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut, said floods and storms had damaged 181,200 rai of pararubber plantations across the country.

Theera said his ministry planned to ask the Cabinet to pay Bt6,007 for each rai of damaged latexyielding pararubber plantations as compensation for affected farmers. “Then, if the farmers replant their farms, they can get the financial assistance of Bt11,000 per rai too,” he said.

A different sum would be given to owners of the damaged plantations that had not yet given latex.

-- The Nation 2010-11-15