The northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima declared today that 14 of its 20 districts affected by floods are disaster zones.
Nakhon Ratchasima governor Rapee Pongbuppakit convened an urgent meeting to respond the flood problem.
Rescue workers rowed flat-bottomed boats with difficulty to evacuate local residents trapped in their homes in Nongsarai community of Pak Chong district since Saturday.
Flooding in Pak Chong district is still critical as floodwater levels have continued to increase and numbers of families remain stranded as multiple roads are heavily flooded, particularly the roadway outside Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate under 1.5 metres of floodwater. The authorities said that workers cannot leave their factories.
A one kilometre portion of railway track has been under water in Pak Chong district halting railway service temporarily, leaving a number of passengers stranded. Meanwhile, reservoirs in the provinces are filled close to critical levels.
Forest run-off from the Phanom Dongrak mountain range flooded homes along the Thai-Cambodian border in Phusing district in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket, along with 52,000 acres of farmland.
In Kantharalak district, volunteers erected make-shift tents for flood victims after their homes were flooded. Drinking water has been distributed to the displaced victims.
Border trade in Sa Kaeo has been paralysed due to flooding in Thailand’s Arunyaprathet and Cambodia’s Poipet.
Thai trucks carrying goods have been halted at border because warehouses in Cambodia are flooded, leaving no place to store transit cargoes.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warned local residents to beware of flash flood and ordered civil servants to assist local residents in Nakhon Ratchasima, the province hardest hit by floods.
Ministry of Public Health mobile medical units are treating flood victims and distributing basic medicines, while hospitals in flood-stricken areas must be prepared for emergencies around the clock. (MCOT online news)
