Phuket's Flash Floods!

[jimbob]

The rains that hit Samui so hard yesterday morning finally reached Phuket by early evening. The sky turned grey before being consumed with the pure blackness only matched by the ferocity of the rains it brought. The intersection by Tesco Lotus became a torrenting river, with the ongoing roadworks turning into a stream of mud. The cars that dared to cross from one side to the other quickly turned and fled once they realised the extent of the sludge. One car did not make it and became stuck for several hours until the rains subsided.

All flights to Samui have been suspended and several people rumoured killed. Parts of Nakhon Si Thammarat have been declared under a state of emergency and waves as high a 5 metres were spotted in Surat Thani. Phuket has recovered quickly from the rains but the sight of floating cars and flooded streets will not be forgotten quickly.

http://phuket-post.com/article.php?id=78

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I got caught in this yesterday. It was crazy! The whole street outisde my home flooded and my bike got screwed.

[sbk]

The sky is totally black to the west of us (koh Phangan) -- expect more!

[jimbob]

The sky is totally black to the west of us (koh Phangan) -- expect more!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah crap!

I was driving home yesterday and saw a car float by, no kidding! My road was flooding and my bike was being dragged off the road, it was really, really crazy stuff! I went to the shops on the way back and went inside (dripping wet) and stocked up on beer, water and rice then went home and sat by my window all night watching everything flood.

I am going to kick whoever told me that it was always sunny here! I have been here 6 months and it always seems to rain on my day off!

[slackula]

Last night a motorbike-taxi driver told me Rat-U-Thit was closed at the end of Bangla due to a flood so I went via Nanai.

Fire trucks and ambulances eveywhere, it seems some poor woman and her child lost their lives in a mudslide:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=4658

Looks like more of the same this evening, thick clouds overhead this afternoon.

(edited for spelling)

[jimbob]

To be honest I am surprised more did not die. The thunder & lightening was massive! I kept on jumping it was so loud.

[george]

2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides

PHUKET: Landslides caused by last night’s torrential rains claimed two lives in Patong last night and injured four others, according to Patong Hospital.

The downpour also caused extensive flooding in Phuket City and many other parts of the island.

Padungkiat Utoksenee, Deputy Director of Patong Hospital, said that while flooding in Patong often resulted in accidents, last night was the first time people had been killed by a landslide.

He said the victims were a Thai mother and her child who lived on the densely-settled Nanai Rd. The landslide crashed through the wall of their dwelling, he said.

The names of the dead and injured, all Thai nationals, have not been released pending notification of kin, he added.

Nanai Rd runs along the base of the hills that encircle the municipality, and which have been the site of extensive, largely unregulated, hillside construction in recent years. Homeowners build ever higher up the hillside to gain sea views.

Much of the construction is in direct violation of a provincial ban on building permanent structures higher than 80 meters above sea level, and other building codes.

Noting that the parking lot of Patong Hospital was knee-deep in floodwater – as were other parts of the town – K. Padungkiat called on Patong Municipality to improve its flood control measures.

Boonchai Somjai, head of the Phuket Provincial Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette that the rainfall statistics for the 24-hour period starting at 7 am yesterday were 92.9 millimeters at the Phuket City monitoring station and 25mm at the Phuket International Airport.

He said “nearly every road” in Phuket City experienced flooding, as did roads in Cherng Talay.

The ODPM was coordinating with tambon authorities and municipalities to ensure a fast recovery by ensuring floodwater drains off as quickly as possible, he said.

More heavy rain is expected. Chumnong Chitpukdee, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast), told the Gazette that the low-pressure system covering the central and lower part of Southern Thailand would continue to bring heavy rain throughout the region.

It has already brought severe flooding along the east coast of peninsular Thailand, and resulted in deaths in Chumpon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Phattalung and as far south as Narathiwat.

The forecast for Phuket in the 24 hours from noon today predicts widespread thundershowers over 70% of the island.

Winds will be northeasterly at 20–40 kmh; wave heights will be 2-3 meters. Shipping should proceed with caution.

K. Chumnong said the bad weather would probably not last more than two days, after which time clear conditions would prevail because the rain is expected to remove much of the haze from the atmosphere.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-11-26

[Galong]

2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides

PHUKET: ... Much of the construction is in direct violation of a provincial ban on building permanent structures higher than 80 meters above sea level, and other building codes.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-11-26

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A little bit of law enforcement would make Thailand a true paradise. This goes for building houses and other building by following codes and in every walk of life.

It's unfortunate when someone dies because of someone else's desire to cut corners or do something illegal.

[nikster]

2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides

PHUKET: ... Much of the construction is in direct violation of a provincial ban on building permanent structures higher than 80 meters above sea level, and other building codes.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-11-26

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A little bit of law enforcement would make Thailand a true paradise. This goes for building houses and other building by following codes and in every walk of life.

It's unfortunate when someone dies because of someone else's desire to cut corners or do something illegal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

quick to assign blame, you are.

[stevesbigtrip]

Well if they did not clear or the trees from the surrounding hills this would probably not have happened and this will only get worse each cheap and will also happen in other places in Phuket

[jrincon17]

Well if they did not clear or the trees from the surrounding hills this would probably not have happened and this will only get worse each cheap and will also happen in other places in Phuket

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

if no one ever lived in phuket this never had happened. this for viewing , hello 80ft

[LivinLOS]

While blaming government is easy, personally 'selective' zoning enforcement is a more contentious issue IMHO, none of this is likely to change anything... I would think any sane person (other than a land seller) would be in favour of some real zoning laws..

All this aside, we currently have at the same time, floods and too much water and a half full resevoir with a projected water shortage coming as early as March (not even Song Gran's water fight period). I live near the 80m mark on the hillside, this year lower water pressure meant that we needed truck water (that simply lowers the water table and gives water to those that are happy to pay) from late July to early Sept.. 140 - 200 baht per cube for a few weeks, 12 - 15k per month in water bills to feed the garden and pool. Of course its not the end of the world to spend some money on water (and its a ###### sight better than having toilets that dont flush) but the lack of foresight or ability to see a coming problem does shock my non thai mindset.

Now we have floods, the pipe dream (groan) of moving water from Surat Thani has been forgotten.. The very subject of a shortage wont be mentioned until they are filtering the mud of Bang Wad.. Anything can be built as long as the Tesa Baan gets his slice etc, supporting infrastructure is someone elses problem...

Mai pen rai.. TiT.. Still love it here and am trying not to be a moaning farang, only sometimes you wonder...

[sibelius]

In Koh Phangan last night at Wiew point bungalows (near Had Rin) in a heavy thunder hit a direct lightning to the wiew point rock.

Whole neck of the rock was fall down to the beach, (100m deep downhill), maybe 15x15 meter of solid rock is dissapeared now!!!!

Luckyly there is no any beach bungalows under!!!

Friends who stay nereby bungalows says the whole place was shaking and they was scared to shit out of their pants.

Somebody died in floods in Lamai???????? (I hope its only a rumor)

[srisatch]

2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides

PHUKET: ... Much of the construction is in direct violation of a provincial ban on building permanent structures higher than 80 meters above sea level, and other building codes.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-11-26

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A little bit of law enforcement would make Thailand a true paradise. This goes for building houses and other building by following codes and in every walk of life.

It's unfortunate when someone dies because of someone else's desire to cut corners or do something illegal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

quick to assign blame, you are.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, so you think it is just fine not to seek a cause, explanation and culpability when some woman and her child are buried by a landslide because of rampant greed and corruption have led to the undermining of the land structure of Phuket, do you? As the guy said..landslides not uncommon in Phuket..but first time anyone died...now look at the hillsides of Patong and 5 years ago? Who's surprised?...Look at those lunatic houses they are building on the road from Kalim to Surin....I suppose you think it is just 'bad luck' How's your luck? like the PMs?

[Sockabrock]

2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides

PHUKET: ... Much of the construction is in direct violation of a provincial ban on building permanent structures higher than 80 meters above sea level, and other building codes.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-11-26

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A little bit of law enforcement would make Thailand a true paradise. This goes for building houses and other building by following codes and in every walk of life.

It's unfortunate when someone dies because of someone else's desire to cut corners or do something illegal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

quick to assign blame, you are.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, so you think it is just fine not to seek a cause, explanation and culpability when some woman and her child are buried by a landslide because of rampant greed and corruption have led to the undermining of the land structure of Phuket, do you? As the guy said..landslides not uncommon in Phuket..but first time anyone died...now look at the hillsides of Patong and 5 years ago? Who's surprised?...Look at those lunatic houses they are building on the road from Kalim to Surin....I suppose you think it is just 'bad luck' How's your luck? like the PMs?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think Nikster's point was that you rapidly jumped to an angry conclusion based on a newspaper reporter's suposition. Nobody knows for certain what occured (yet) so it may be a wee bit too early to be pulling your pistols, Tex.

That said, it is a ###### shame those poor folks died. If there is blame to be assigned I hope it does happen.