HTMS Chakri Naruebet has been reassigned to the South, as part of the full-scale disaster-relief operation under way, assisting thousands of residents and tourists in southern provinces affected by the worsening flooding. The vessel will serve as a floating command centre for relief efforts.
The aircraft carrier, earlier assigned to border security, left its base today and is heading to severely flooded areas, including Songkhla, Satun, Narathiwat and Surat Thani.
The warship, as a floating command centre, will enable faster coordination of aid deliveries, evacuations. Its aerial support capabilities have been monitoring the situation in the southern provinces since the onset of the crisis and all regional naval disaster-relief units in Songkhla, Satun, Narathiwat and Surat Thani have been ordered to assist residents to their fullest capacity.
Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Parat Rattanachaiyan revealed that, with conditions worsening and many residents stranded and awaiting evacuation, Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Phairoj Phuengcheun ordered the assignment of additional manpower, inflatable boats from the Navy SEALs and aircraft to reinforce the ongoing operations.
Parat said the three urgent missions include delivering food, drinking water and relief supplies to those trapped, evacuating people from high-risk zones and supporting local agencies with initial recovery efforts and damage assessment.
The relief mission will comprise HTMS Chakri Naruebet, two helicopters and a special operations team. The carrier will depart for the area later today, carrying large quantities of relief supplies.
The flooding in Hat Yai city of Songkhla has worsened, leaving a large number of passengers stranded inside Hat Yai International Airport since yesterday evening.
Military trucks, normally used to transport people during emergencies, stopped operating at 7pm due to rapidly rising water levels.
Convenience stores and restaurants inside the airport have become makeshift rest areas and airport staff have been distributing boxed meals and drinking water to ease the hardship.
Announcements in the terminal continue to warn of additional water runoffs, expected to arrive around midnight, and advising residents in at-risk areas to move to higher ground.
