11 provinces on alert as tropical storm Noru pushes Chao Phraya to the brink
Residents in 11 of Thailand’s provinces are being warned as tropical storm Noru is expected to push the Chao Phraya River to the brink. Those residents, which are near waterways, are now being told that the storm could push the river’s water levels up by 66 centimetres. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Royal Irrigation Department issued the warnings yesterday. The 11 provinces include Bangkok, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Sing Buri, Lop Buri, Nonthaburi, Ayutthaya, Chai Nat, and Ang Thong.
The departments said the warnings should be heeded especially by those working or living outside of embankments, those in low-lying areas and workers along the river banks. Storm Noru passed over northeastern Thailand late Wednesday, has increased the Chao Phraya River’s flow rate, prompting the Royal Irrigation Department to speed up the river’s discharge in the Chai Nat barrage. Already, the department says the river level is 17 metres above the barrage, surpassing the suitable threshold of 16.5 metres.
More than 4,000 people in Thailand’s northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani have been evacuated as of Wednesday night as Noru advanced on the region. The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit the kingdom. The Meteorological Department says it will gradually be downgraded to a depression and low-pressure system.
The Thai government has set up a “war room” to closely monitor the impact of Noru, as heavy rain and flooding are expected in almost all areas of the country. The “war room” is tasked with gathering information about the storm, assessing its severity and taking appropriate steps to mitigate its impact. A spokesman for the Meteorological Department warned residents in low-lying areas of the storm’s impact.
Earlier this week, Storm Noru hit the Phillippines, causing at least six deaths. Vietnam was more recently hit by the storm, with airports shuttering and mandatory evacuations enforced.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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