Floods Of Fury In Thailand

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Floods of fury

By The Nation

Rescue efforts underway to save survivors of destroyed Krabi village; 100 still missing; Emergency evacuation in Trang, Phatthalung, Nakhon Ratchasima and Phuket

Intense rescue and recovery efforts are underway to save survivors and locate more than 100 people still unaccounted for after a village in floodhit Krabi was swept away by a landslide yesterday morning.

Two bodies have been retrieved near Ban Ton Harn Ville in Khao Phanom district, while an unspecified number of survivors have been found and treated for injuries, said a local military commander. He estimated the number of missing at more than 100.

LtColonel Thim Ruento said his 200plus troops also assisted civilian rescuers in the operations, as well as providing electricity and relief supplies to a shelter where a number of survivors reside amid a blackout and lack of tap water.

He said flatbed barges and military trucks have approached all accessible areas but could not yet reach flooded or mudcovered locations. Fifteen sniffer dogs are being used in the operations.

The number of bodies retrieved has increased to five and the number of survivors was given at 40 by assistant provincial governor Wisutthiwong Anantaphong, as chief of civilian operations. He said only five missing people could so far be identified.

The civilian operations ended at 4pm due to the lack of electricity and spotlights. Most of the 40 survivors suffered minor injuries and declined to receive hospital treatment. They are now staying in three shelters, Wisutthiwong said.

Emergency evacuations will be carried out in four other hardhit provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung and Phuket, especially in areas near hills in case of landslides, said the government's adhoc relief centre. It said 13 people had been killed elsewhere, 11 major reservoirs were brimming and more than 732,000 rai of farmland and plantations were flooded or damaged.

In Phunphin district in Surat Thani, Tha Rong Chang hospital was under a metre of floodwater, causing an evacuation of 80 patients to higher ground and prompting a helicopter airlift of two in serious condition to the Surat Thani general hospital. A field hospital has been set up near the obliterated village to provide firstaid treatment for minor injuries.

An Irrigation Department warning said heavy rain and subsequent flash floods were possible for the next few days in all nine affected provinces. The department's water drainage operations were continuing at full scale but flow to the sea outlets was slow because of widespread stagnant flooding.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday visited Ban Ton Harn Ville and the survivors, giving them survival kits.

He returned to Bangkok in the evening and appeared on a live television programme to raise relief funds at 9pm.

-- The Nation 2011-04-01

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Copter lifts sick from flash flood

By The Nation

Surat Thani hospital isolated by fast rising waters requiring aerial evacuation

A helicopter yesterday airlifted the most seriously sick patients out of 80 in need of urgent evacuation after a flash flood struck Tha Rong Chang Hospital in Surat Thani's Phunphin district.

Water quickly rose to one metre to restrict access to the hospital on the Asia Highway and most medical equipment was damaged.

Dr Natthawut Prasertsiripong, a provincial public health officer, rushed to call for the helicopter to transport several patients to Surat Thani Hospital.

At the provincial fresh water fishery development office, which was under two metres, officials were rescued while one of the three escaped crocodiles was recaptured.

Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban visited victims in Chaiya, Tha Chana, Phunphin and Kanchanadit districts.

Dissathorn Watcharothai, chairman of the Rajaprachanukroh Foundation, on behalf of His Majesty the King, delivered relief kits for 1,000 flood victims at Chaeng Temple in Tambon Bang Rak of Trang's Muang district.

Wichien Chavalit, permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, who received 200,000 bottles of water donated by Thai Beverage for the flood victims, said the ministry had urged governors to work closer with the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to assist the victims better.

Citing the tragedy in Krabi, where the governor warned residents to move out but they didn't listen and then the landslide wiped out a village, he urged people to leave as soon as they were told.

Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Chumphon and Trang were the five southern provinces to have their emergency fund doubled to Bt100 million.

Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Thanathip Sawangsaeng said 1,500 soldiers along with flatbottom boats, vehicles and a K9 team as well as 5,600 royallygranted relief rations were mobilised to assist the southern flood victims.

Dr Kitti Rattanasombat, director of Tha Sala Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat, said he had urged PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, who had inspected the affected areas in the province, to allocate a budget to fill in and level the hospital's land and its patient building as a longterm flood solution.

The hospital, located at the bottom of a depression with high roads surrounding it, was now closed after it had been under a metre of water for five days and the rainfall continued. He said that this flood had ruined documents, medical equipment and instruments worth Bt40 million.

-- The Nation 2011-04-01

[londonthai]

the picture shows sea gipsies, whose houses were swept by waves. They were able to safe their shoes.

surely the picture of the day, well matching the title "Copter lifts sick from flash flood"

Edited April 1, 2011 by londonthai

[Yeppe]

I wish that the flood would flush away the rotting Thai government! They are so much against the foreigners who bring them money.

[livingthedream]

Emergency evacuation in Korat? Not as far as I know, surely a typo.