Major floods in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani continue

Following continuous heavy rain, water runoffs have been cascading down from the Khao Luang mountain range into Khiriwong and Mueang districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat since last night, inundating the two districts.

In Mueang district, municipal officials raised red flags at all bridges, to warn motorists and pedestrians of the presence of canals beneath the floodwater.

Images of raging currents of muddy water from Khao Luang runoffs carrying fallen tree trunks were posted to the Facebook page of the Khiriwong community today.

Rescuers in Khiriwong and Mueang districts say they have been closely monitoring the flood situation, noting that floodwaters are steadily rising. They say that residents in risk areas were advised, in advance, to move to safer places.

There are many waterfalls in the Khao Luang mountain range in Lan Saka, Mueang, Phrom Khiri and Nopphitam districts and runoffs from these are contributing to the flooding.

In nearby Surat Thani province, eight districts have been declared public disaster zones. These include Mueang, Kanchanadit, Don Sak, Tha Chana, Tha Chang, Pha-ngan Island, Samui Island and Ban Na San. About 3,000 households in 145 villages have been affected by flooding, but there are no reports of casualties so far.

Survival kits, which include dried food and drinking water, were distributed in Mueang district last night.