Hat Yai Mayor Narongporn Na Phatthalung Apologises After Fast-Moving 2025 Floods

Hat Yai’s mayor, Narongporn Na Phatthalung, has publicly apologised for the city’s response to the recent, fast-moving floods — a rare, candid admission that the scale and speed of the disaster simply outpaced official expectations. Speaking on the “Kammakorn Khao” programme on Friday, November 28, Mayor Narongporn called the incident a collective misjudgement and outlined the immediate recovery priorities: clean-up, road re-openings, and getting aid to every affected household.

What unfolded in Hat Yai and neighbouring Nammom was not the usual slow-rise flood many had prepared for. Officials say the area was hit by a “rain boom”: six hours of continuous, intense rainfall that dumped more than 300 millimetres of water across parts of the city — far faster and harder than previous events. The city’s original assessment had expected runoff from Sadao to reach Hat Yai, and believed it would arrive from the same direction as in past floods. That assumption left officials unready when heavy rain struck Khao Kho Hong instead — an area that historically had not fed floodwaters into the city — and the situation escalated rapidly.

“I apologise to all the people of Hat Yai for the misjudgement,” Narongporn said on air, stressing that the error involved multiple agencies, including the Royal Irrigation Department, the Meteorological Department, and the municipality itself. The recognition that a chain of decisions — rather than a single failure — contributed to the crisis is important, both morally and practically, as the region moves from emergency response to recovery and accountability.

One flashpoint after the flooding was the controversy over the city’s warning flags. Critics circulated footage showing a green flag still flying even as people reported rising waters. The mayor clarified the timeline: a green flag had been raised earlier when conditions appeared under control, and a red flag — the highest alert — was hoisted later with the approval of the provincial governor, following standard procedure. The message was that on-the-ground conditions changed faster than signals could be adjusted or noticed by everyone.

Mayor Narongporn described a gruelling night manning the response on the ground. He remained at the scene throughout, personally overseeing the evacuation of some 700 to 800 people — many elderly or carrying injuries — to makeshift shelters at Prince of Songkla University. Yet even as volunteers and officials scrambled to move people to safety, communication networks collapsed. Phone lines and internet services went down, making coordination nearly impossible. “I didn’t know who to communicate with because the phone lines were down, and there was no internet. Even the journalists who came had no internet access,” he said.

When infrastructure and communication fail during a disaster, the human toll is amplified. Boats — the lifeline for many trapped residents — were in desperately short supply. Narongporn recounted joining rescue operations in District 8 alongside social activist Gun Jompalang, but noted there were only five functioning boats available for thousands of residents. Several municipal boats had already been damaged, leaving rescue teams to stretch resources thin across neighbourhoods piled with water and debris.

Photographs circulating online showed swollen streets, flood debris across Mueang Songkhla and damage to key facilities, including Hat Yai Hospital. These images underscore the scale of the recovery challenge: clearing rubble, sanitising flooded areas, restoring roads and utilities, and delivering relief packages to households that may be cut off for days.

Mayor Narongporn’s message was blunt and humble. “We really can’t handle this alone. I sincerely apologise to all the people of Hat Yai,” he said, asking for assistance from provincial and national agencies as well as non-government organisations and volunteers. His plea underlines an uncomfortable truth: when rare weather events or “rain booms” put pressure on systems calibrated for past patterns, local governments need extra support to bridge the gap between expectation and reality.

As Hat Yai shifts from rescue to recovery, officials say the immediate priorities are clear: reopening blocked roads, removing flood debris, repairing damaged boats and municipal assets, and ensuring that aid reaches the elderly, injured and other vulnerable residents. There are also lessons to be drawn for future flood planning — particularly the need for improved real-time communication, more flexible evacuation plans that consider unexpected rain directions, and greater reserves of rescue equipment.

For now, residents and rescuers face the gritty work of recovery. The mayor’s apology is a start — an acknowledgment of error that, if followed by concrete action and cooperation, could help the city rebuild stronger and better prepared. In southern Thailand’s unpredictable rainy season, Hat Yai’s experience is a reminder that weather patterns can surprise us, and that transparency, quick adaptation and collective support are essential when they do.