Red flags were raised in Hat Yai district by the district’s mayor today, to let residents know that they need to move their valuables to higher ground urgently, as water levels in three local canals are steadily rising due to runoffs from Pattani province.
In a statement issued at 3.30am this morning, Mayor Pol Lt-Col Sakorn Thongmunee said that, after an assessment by a team of water experts, it was agreed that residents should be warned now, to give them time to move themselves and their valuables to safety.
He said that huge volumes of water have been pouring into the U-Tapao and Wa canals. A sand bag flood wall was hastily built last night to protect the downtown commercial area from inundation.
In Songkhla province, chairman of the Sawang Songkhla Foundation, Boonrit Thongkoet, fell and lost consciousness as he was helping flood victims at an army barracks in Thepa district. EMTs administered CPR at the scene before rushing him to the district hospital, where was pronounced dead.
In Yala province, Governor Ampon Pongsuwan has urged people in heavily-flooded areas to relocate to evacuation centres, as several villages are under as much as 2m of water, making travel by boat the only option for the villagers.
The worst-flooded areas are in Mueang, Raman, Yaha, Kabang, Krong Penang and Bannang Sata districts, caused by overflows from the Sai Buri River. Emergency kitchens have been set up by Red Cross volunteers to provide about 30,000 lunch boxes per day for flood victims.
In Betong district, a mud slide on Rattanasathien Road led to the collapse of a wall and damage to the tap water system. Road subsidence has also been reported.
The situation in Pattani remains critical, as floodwater continues to rise and all roads are submerged today. More than 1,000 stores in the Mueang district have sustained varying degrees of damage as their sandbag embankments were breached.
Attempts to pump water out of the township into the Pattani River have stalled, as the river is overflowing, compounded by a high tide.
