Flood, landslide warnings in North, Isan as rains continue

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Flood, landslide warnings in North, Isan as rains continue
Published: 16/07/2011 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post: Newspaper section: News
 
People in some northeastern and northern provinces have been warned of possible flash floods due to continued rain.

Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, said yesterday that rain from Wednesday to Friday have led to the alert.

The warning has been issued to Seka, Si Wilai and So Phisai districts of Bung Kan province; Fao Rai district of Nong Khai; Ban Muang district of Sakon Nakhon; Si Songkhram and Pla Pak districts of Nakhon Phanom; and Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai.

A landslide already occurred in Ban Poo Khai village in Muang district of Chiang Rai yesterday morning. It happened near a residential area and the householders were immediately evacuated.

Authorities in some other provinces not included in the official warning should also be prepared to cope with possible flooding due to prolonged rains in their localities.

Surapol Thiensutr, mayor of Muang Nan municipality, said it rained all through Thursday night and flooding was a possibility if the rains did not ease. He reported that the level of the Nan River was rising and some riverside community dwellers have started to move their belongings to safer places. Flooding hit the northern province late last month.

In the southern province of Ranong, provincial governor Wanchart Wongchaichana said residents had been warned of possible flash floods and landslides because of ongoing heavy downpours. Authorities in Muang Ranong municipality have set up a flood-relief centre in anticipation of flooding. In the meantime, fishing boats have been moored to avoid the consequences of strong winds and waves off the coastal province. Tap water supplies came to a sudden halt in the heart of Ranong yesterday after a landslide on Ranong-Ban Hat Som Paen Road damaged a 50-centimetre main water pipe.