Phang Nga Heavily Flooded After Torrential Rain

POURING rain continuing for over 24 hours triggered flash floods in Phang Nga province with a monastery inundated to the roof while six students were stranded in their school as roads were impassable, Amarin TV said this evening (Sep. 18). Aside from Ban Pak Khlong Monastery homes and farms in Ban Tha Han village, Romanee subdistrict, Kapong district, also got flooded. Villagers, community leaders and officials used flat-bottom boats to evacuate the monks and move the monastery’s sacred and other objects to higher ground after floodwaters rose above a metre nearly reaching the roofline of parts of the sermon hall. Meanwhile six students at Ban Pak Khlong School were unable to return home because the high floodwaters made the road impassable to vehicles and their parents could not reach them. Teachers cooked food for them as they waited for the situation to improve. Additionally, homes in low-lying areas and agricultural zones, including oil palm, rubber, and fruit plantation, too got inundated. Persistent heavy rain has also caused landslides at several points along the roads leading to villages. Kapong officials, community leaders, and local residents are currently working to clear routes, assess the situation, and evacuate people from at-risk areas to safety. Flash-flooding also occurred in low-lying areas of Khura Buri district with farmland and homes in Bang Wan, Mae Nang Khao, and Khura sub-districts swamped. Khura Buri District Chief has instructed local administrative organisations, sub-district heads (kamnan), and village headmen to survey the affected areas, monitor the situation, and provide assistance to residents where damage from flooding was found. Local officials continue to closely monitor the situation, as heavy rain persists in many areas and the risk of further flash flooding remains. Phang Nga badly flooded upon being lashed by torrential rain. Photos – Mr. Wattana Phakaprom and Ms. Nattaporn Sae-tan and published by Amarin TV