As Mother Nature released her might upon the southern tail of Thailand, the inhabitants braced themselves against the relentless downpour that transformed their daily lives into an aquatic tale of endurance. For two continuous days, the skies wept profusely over the provinces of Narathiwat and Yala, holding the lands hostage under watery depths, and turning a staggering 67 tambons across 16 districts into unintended lagoons.
In the grasp of this deluge, Narathiwat encountered its nine districts—Waeng, Sukhirin, Chanae, Rangae, Sungai Padi, Si Sakhon, Cho Airong, Yingo, and Ruso—swallowed by turbid waters. On a particularly dreary Monday morning, no less than 9,558 households, sheltering 37,901 souls, found themselves besieged. The district of Yingo bore the brunt, with 2,755 households submerged and 11,020 individuals grappling with the aquatic invasion, while Chanae followed in sodden footsteps with 2,115 households and 9,626 people facing the murky depths—a plight that didn’t spare a school from damage. Rangae, with the distress of 2,073 households and 8,087 people, witnessed seven of its schools succumb to the rogue waters.
Marching further into Yala, the floods left a trail of submerged chaos in their wake, touching 23 tambons across seven districts—Thanto, Yaha, Kabang, Bannang Sata, Raman, Krong Pinang, and Muang. The picturesque town of Yala transformed into an unwelcome Venice, with its arterial roads, houses, and what were once bustling localities languishing under the siege. A striking image captured the Tuebo-Sateng Nok road, cloaked in a metre-high watery shroud, impassable for the modest conveyances of the town’s denizens. Communities nestled within Talad Kao and Withoon Uthit found themselves at the mercy of the capricious Bae Mo swamp as it encroached upon their homes.
A particular educational institute, Tessabal 5 School, stood in the Talad Kao area, now a monument to resilience as it resisted the unyielding overflow, compelling its doors to shut for two days until the world could right itself once more.
Amidst this watery woe, the tenacity of the Yala-Sungai Kolok rail track met its match as it too succumbed to the persistent inundation, briefly halting the pulse of regional transport.
Chaiwat Junthirapong, the esteemed helmsman of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, catapulted into action, coordinating provincial efforts to reclaim the land from the aquatic embrace. In tandem with local administration, his team delved into the undertaking of water draining and meticulous surveys, ensuring the afflicted would not tread the waters of misfortune unaided.
For those seeking a lighthouse in these stormy times, the department’s complaint centre awaited at 1784, a beacon of hope and assistance. And for the wise who wished to keep ahead of Mother Nature’s capriciousness, the THAI DISASTER ALERT application awaited their gaze, ready to ward off the surprises of an unpredictable Earth.
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