As torrents of rain continue to unleash their ferocious wrath upon Thailand’s southern regions, the situation grows more dire with each passing day, bringing severe flooding that’s disrupting lives and testing resilience. With Mother Nature showing no mercy, 47 districts across five southern provinces find themselves in a watery predicament, leaving over 128,000 households struggling to stay afloat—both literally and metaphorically.
Amidst this swirling chaos, the epicenters of the deluge are the provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani’s Koh Samui district. These are among the hardest-hit areas in the South’s flood crisis, co-starring with the provinces of Chumphon, Ranong, and Phatthalung. Like a stubborn stain, the floods have extended their reach to envelop parts of Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, spreading their soggy unhappiness across 11 provinces.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) paints a grim picture with its update: the five most-affected provinces are drowning under water, impacting 128,035 households. Sadly, the floods have not just inundated lands but have also claimed eight lives. Broadening the lens, a total of 702 districts across 5,050 villages have felt the flood’s chilling touch, affecting 737,091 households and causing a tragic toll of 35 fatalities in these 11 provinces.
Nakhon Si Thammarat continues to battle floodwaters spurred on by relentless heavy rains. In Tha Sala district, the surging waters have taken their toll by washing away power poles and submerging crucial roadways, causing disarray in transportation and widespread darkness due to power outages. Muang district, a bustling economic hub, is submerged with flood levels ranging between 100-120cm in the lowlands, further complicating the commuter’s plight as main routes such as Highway 401 are closed to smaller vehicles.
Over in Surat Thani’s Koh Samui district, the deluge made a grand entrance, with nocturnal rains triggering floods that invaded localities and commercial districts alike, leaving transportation paralyzed. Roads have morphed into small tributaries, discouraging any travel unless absolutely necessary, leading to school closures and urging tourists to adjust their travel plans to accommodate airport and ferry delays.
Adding to the calamity, a landslide in tambon Maret turned lethal, claiming the lives of two construction workers, Aung Ko Ko and Moe Zet, in a tragedy that underscores the harsh realities faced by the region’s inhabitants.
In the eye of the storm stands Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, rallying the government’s emergency response. With swift action, emergency funds have been earmarked for the flood-battered zones, and military engineers are on the ground assisting in relief efforts, wielding their expertise to rebuild the fractured infrastructure.
Local governors and disaster response teams, under the clarion call of life-saving urgency, are prioritizing the distribution of emergency supplies and fast-tracking repairs, aiming to stitch the fabric of normalcy back together as swiftly as possible. As Phumtham Wechayachai astutely observes, the escalating flooding is a sobering reminder of the shifting natural dynamics, a challenge that demands strategic integration in national security planning.
Adding her voice—and presence—to the efforts, Deputy Interior Minister Sabeeda Thaiset, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, has dispatched herself to the disaster-stricken areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani. Their mission: to assess the damage first-hand and marshal the necessary support for both officials and civilians navigating through this swampy quagmire.
As the villages hold their collective breath, teetering on resilience and hope, it’s clear that the resolve of the southern Thai community is as steadfast and enduring as any endemic monsoon. For now, the focus remains on weathering the storm and waiting for the clouds to part on a brighter day. But with support from all fronts, there’s a collective assurance that, come what may, brighter days do lie ahead.
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