In a breathtaking turn of nature’s caprice, torrential rains have unleashed their might upon the enchanting realms of Narathiwat and Yala, transforming these southern Thai provinces into vast expanses of water as far as the eyes can see. Through days of relentless deluge, our resilient teachers and students have found sanctuary atop the roofs of their school buildings, exemplified by the stunning scene in tambon Balor of Raman district in Yala, where the educational refuge sits adrift amidst flooding waters—an image captured in that moment by the keen lens of @Skyboyz15.
The heavens opened up to a symphony of rain, not for a fleeting moment, but for a persistent, two-day performance that filled rivers to, and beyond, their brims. Sixty-seven tambon across sixteen districts have been drawn into this aquatic tapestry, with Narathiwat bearing the brunt on a sodden Monday. Nine of its districts—Waeng, Sukhirin, Chanae, Rangae, Sungai Padi, Si Sakhon, Cho Airong, Yingo, and Ruso—found themselves submerged, ensnaring some 9,558 households, cradling 37,900 souls within 44 tambon—a proclamation made by local authorities with serious demeanor.
Standing as a testament to nature’s impartiality, Yingo district emerged as the sorest of spots, with an estimated 2,755 households and 11,020 hearts afloat in its sudden lakes, whilst Chanae district’s echoing cry wasn’t far behind, claiming 2,115 households and 9,626 smiles, with the heartbreaking addition of a school’s ruins. Rangae offered no reprieve, with 2,073 households and 8,087 lives clinging to fragments of their normalcy, as the walls of seven schools stood drenched and defeated.
Yala’s plight was painted across 23 tambon within seven districts—Thanto, Yaha, Kabang, Bannang Sata, Raman, Krong Pinang, and Muang—where the once-predictable streets of Yala town were transformed into waterways, especially in the vulnerable lowlands. The Tuebo-Sateng Nok road held a meter of water hostage by Thursday morning, declaring itself off-limits to the humble passage of small vehicles. Communities like Talad Kao and Withoon Uthit found themselves hosting unexpected waters from Bae Mo marsh, with Tessabal 5 School being swept into an aquatic sabbatical for a spell of two days or until order could be coaxed from chaos.
The nation watched as Chaiwat Junthirapong, helmsman of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, declared an orchestra of efforts in harmony with local officials to orchestrate the draining dance and assess the damper put on lives and property—a promise that compensation’s wings would soon unfurl.
Amid deepening waters, there stands a beacon of hope—in the form of a hotline. For those beset by the floods’ surprise, aid is but a call away to 1784, the department’s vigil ear. Moreover, the tech-savvy can look to the THAI DISASTER ALERT mobile application as their digital sentinel against the furies of climate.
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