Strong winds and waves hit Thai coast Residents and tourists are stranded, while cold front in north damages crops
Dec 23, 2006
The Straits Times
BANGKOK - THAILAND has declared several coastal districts and a northern province as disaster zones following the onset of extreme weather conditions.
Pounding waves and gale-force winds struck coastal districts in the southern provinces of Surat Thani, Chumphon, Songkla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, while the cold spell from China affected the northern province of Nan.
The Bangkok Post reported that fishermen were told to stay ashore until today as waves measuring 3m to 4m were forecast in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Surat Thani Governor Niwat Sawatkaew stopped all passenger services to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao resort islands, while the Chumphon provincial office ordered all boats anchored until tomorrow.
About 3,000 tourists and 4,000 residents were stranded in Koh Tao because stormy weather and waves forced the closure of ferry services.
Fuel is running low, with just enough to produce electricity for the resort island until today.
The Second Navy Region has been asked to help ship fuel or the island's tap water supply would stop without electricity.
The province's Don Sak and Tha Chana districts were affected by a powerful tide, and 4m-high waves inundated coastal properties.
Mr Rohim Saiyib, the 48-year-old village headman at Tha Chana district, said he had never seen anything like it.
'Huge waves came in so fast that we had no time to salvage our belongings. We just sprinted for our lives,' he said.
Rough seas flattened 20 houses and left 1m-high sand banks on the road.
In Don Sak district, a village was inundated by seawater.Residents tried to clear sand from their seafront homes before 31 families decided to evacuate.
In Chumphon, Lang Suan district, surging waves washed away 22 houses and threatened shoreline breakwaters.
Powerful waves also hit the shorelines of Ranod and Chana districts, damaging 15 seafront homes and a road.
In Nakhon Si Thammarat, Deputy Governor Aruni Kulnarong said the authorities had prepared evacuation plans for the 54km shoreline from Hua Sai district along Laem Talumphuk to Pak Phanang district.
The authorities will keep a close watch until Monday. The authorities warned 200 families in Laem Talumphuk to consider evacuating their homes as a powerful storm could break over them.
In Nan, a cold front maintained its grip on 14 districts as the temperature dropped to 13 deg C downtown and 5 deg C in the Doi Phu Ka National Park in Pua district.
Nearly 150,000 people were in need of blankets and warm clothes, double last year's figure.
Meanwhile, several days of chilly, windy weather have hampered growing in orchards and farmland at Trat's Khao Saming district.
The weather is likely to cause pineapple produce to become stunted and lose its sweetness.
The lowest temperature was recorded at 3 deg C at the top of Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai, with frost found in some mountainous areas.
WEATHER MAYHEM
'Huge waves came in so fast that we had no time to salvage our belongings. We just sprinted for our lives.' said MR ROHIM SAIYIB, the 48-year-old village headman at Tha Chana district.
Dec 23, 2006
The Straits Times
BANGKOK - THAILAND has declared several coastal districts and a northern province as disaster zones following the onset of extreme weather conditions.
Pounding waves and gale-force winds struck coastal districts in the southern provinces of Surat Thani, Chumphon, Songkla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, while the cold spell from China affected the northern province of Nan.
The Bangkok Post reported that fishermen were told to stay ashore until today as waves measuring 3m to 4m were forecast in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Surat Thani Governor Niwat Sawatkaew stopped all passenger services to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao resort islands, while the Chumphon provincial office ordered all boats anchored until tomorrow.
About 3,000 tourists and 4,000 residents were stranded in Koh Tao because stormy weather and waves forced the closure of ferry services.
Fuel is running low, with just enough to produce electricity for the resort island until today.
The Second Navy Region has been asked to help ship fuel or the island's tap water supply would stop without electricity.
The province's Don Sak and Tha Chana districts were affected by a powerful tide, and 4m-high waves inundated coastal properties.
Mr Rohim Saiyib, the 48-year-old village headman at Tha Chana district, said he had never seen anything like it.
'Huge waves came in so fast that we had no time to salvage our belongings. We just sprinted for our lives,' he said.
Rough seas flattened 20 houses and left 1m-high sand banks on the road.
In Don Sak district, a village was inundated by seawater.Residents tried to clear sand from their seafront homes before 31 families decided to evacuate.
In Chumphon, Lang Suan district, surging waves washed away 22 houses and threatened shoreline breakwaters.
Powerful waves also hit the shorelines of Ranod and Chana districts, damaging 15 seafront homes and a road.
In Nakhon Si Thammarat, Deputy Governor Aruni Kulnarong said the authorities had prepared evacuation plans for the 54km shoreline from Hua Sai district along Laem Talumphuk to Pak Phanang district.
The authorities will keep a close watch until Monday. The authorities warned 200 families in Laem Talumphuk to consider evacuating their homes as a powerful storm could break over them.
In Nan, a cold front maintained its grip on 14 districts as the temperature dropped to 13 deg C downtown and 5 deg C in the Doi Phu Ka National Park in Pua district.
Nearly 150,000 people were in need of blankets and warm clothes, double last year's figure.
Meanwhile, several days of chilly, windy weather have hampered growing in orchards and farmland at Trat's Khao Saming district.
The weather is likely to cause pineapple produce to become stunted and lose its sweetness.
The lowest temperature was recorded at 3 deg C at the top of Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai, with frost found in some mountainous areas.
WEATHER MAYHEM
'Huge waves came in so fast that we had no time to salvage our belongings. We just sprinted for our lives.' said MR ROHIM SAIYIB, the 48-year-old village headman at Tha Chana district.