Thailand – Floods in South Leave 21 Dead, Over 1 Million Affected

Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) report that 21 people have now died in the floods affecting southern provinces of the country.

At least 11 provinces are in emergency situations as a result of flooding which has affected over 1 million people. Thai Meteorological Department have forecast further heavy rain until Tuesday, 10 January.

Nakhon Si Thammarat airport closed from 06 January and will possibly re-open today, 09 January. Thai news agency NNT said that the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat has suffered its worst flood crisis in 30 years with 300,000 people affected and seven people dead.

Unusually heavy rain for this time of year, influenced by low depression and the strong northeast monsoon, has caused widespread flooding in southern provinces of Thailand since 01 January, 2017.

This is the second deadly flood event within a month in south Thailand. At least 11 people died and 350,000 were affected after flooding struck southern provinces in December 2016.

As of 07 January the affected provinces included Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Phattalung, Trang, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Krabi, Surat Thani, Chumphon and Ranong.

DDPM said that 91 districts, 569 sub-districts, 4,205 villages, 330,318 households and over 1 million people have been affected. Damages have been reported to 218 roads, 59 bridges, 5 government facilities, 11 schools and 5 mosques.

Heavy rain over the last 48 hours has caused flooding in the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

More Rain Forecast

Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) said earlier today that 10 provinces are likely to be affected by further heavy rain over the next 24 hours at least. In their weather warning of 09 January, TMD said:

“The active low pressure over Surat Thani, Krabi and Phangnga is forecast to head to the upper Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Martaban, Myanmar during 09-10 January.

“Outbreaks of persistent heavy to torrential rains are forecast for following provinces: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, and Krabi. People should beware of the severe weather conditions and possible flash flood for the period lasting 10 January.”

Tourists Advised to Contact Tour Agencies or TAT

In a statement of 06 January, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said that “Tourists are still able to visit the South of Thailand but advised to check the news and with tour agencies about areas they plan to visit and to monitor the local weather reports.”

TAT have published several updates regarding the impact of the floods on tourist areas. The TAT flood updates can be found here.

Tourism Authority of Thailand said that it is offering information and assistance to tourists through TAT Contact Center 1672 ( Tel: +66 2250 5500) and all its offices in Thailand.  Further contacts for the TAT can be found here.

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