Downpours have triggered severe floods in wide areas in the northern provinces of Nan and Phayao, ravaging properties and prompting officials to warn residents to brace for further damage amid the persistent rain.
Schools and several hundred houses in the two northern provinces were flooded after the Nan and Yom rivers overflowed, sweeping away farm animals and claiming the life of Prasit Wangsan, 49, in Nan's Pua district, according to local authorities yesterday.
The man drowned after he went out to inspect the situation and was caught in the torrential water.
Many areas of Nan were drenched yesterday as rainfall showed no sign of letting up. Local officials and military officers were out in full force yesterday to help flood victims move to higher ground.
They lifted a large log that blocked water flow and helped people move their belongings out of flooded homes in tambon Phasing in Muang district while two schools in the Tha Wang Pha area were forced to cancel classes yesterday.
A vast expanse of farmland and houses was ravaged by Monday, with most roads cut off by rising floodwaters in Muang district of Nan.
Huai Fong village in tambon Khun Nan in Chalerm Prakiat district was among the hardest-hit areas as its main road collapsed after being ravaged by flood water for several hours.
32nd Ranger Task Force chief Col Atsawong Ninphan led soldiers to help locals move to safety after soil in the area gave way, destroying or threatening to destroy homes.
An initial inspection found a house collapsing. An electricity pole also fell causing a widespread blackout in the village.
The officers assisted with moving the residents and their belongings to safer areas away from flooded zones.
The situation was becoming dire in some heavily flooded locations, prompting Nan governor Suwat Phromsuwan to order emergency response plans be implemented.
Yesterday, six districts in Nan were declared disaster zones. They are Muang, Phu Phiang, Tha Wang Pha, Pua, Santisuk and Chalerm Prakiat.
In nearby Phayao, Pong district also felt the effects of the rain as many areas were devastated by flooding, with a local reservoir nearly exceeding capacity.
A flash flood burst into residential areas and farmland. It was reported that a villager, identified as Noppharat Khantharet, in tambon Na Plan went missing during the downpour.
Rescuers only found the motorcycle of the 39-year-old man near Wat Na Plang. They believe the man was probably carried away by flood water and might have been trapped in a sewer.
Four water buffaloes were drowned as the animals could not escape the flooding.
Also in the same district, two head of cattle and 12 pigs were swept away by flood water, authorities said.
According to local officials, at least 300 houses were inundated. Authorities said the current flood situation was so intense that the crest of the Ban Baeng reservoir could crack if a lot more flood water flowed into it.
Pong district assistant mayor Anurat Thetthong described the flood as the heaviest in seven years especially after learning the overflow from the Yom River flooded various important venues, including the district office and a branch of the Provincial Electricity Authority.
In a related development, electricians and mechanics have been mobilised by a local vocational school to help repair household electrical appliances and cars damaged by flooding that also hit more than 100 resorts in tourist areas of Mae Hong Son, said Mae Yen village head Churairat Chanphrommin.
Officials visit a house where the soil has subsided following downpours in Chalerm Prakiat district of Nan. The owner has moved to safety.
A man slips out of his car through the window as rising water floods the vehicle in Muang district of Nan. The authorities have been closely monitoring the flood which has killed a man who was swept away by the currents in Pua district. Soldiers were also sent to help move patients and medical equipment to higher floors at hospitals and health facilities battered by the flood. photos by Rarinthorn Petcharoen
