Northeast Thailand sees worst floods in 10 years

Many areas of Thailand have experienced heavy rain and flash flooding since monsoon season began on Friday. Yesterday, two hours of continuous heavy rain caused flash flooding in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand. A pottery village in Chok Chai district experienced the heaviest flooding to occur in 10 years.

Hook 31 Rescue Team deployed boats to evacuate villagers and their pets from more than 50 flooded houses in Dan Kwian Village, the province’s biggest pottery village. After two hours of continuous heavy rain, runoff water from a cassava plantation flowed down into the village causing flooding and strong currents.

The flooding happened so quickly that most villagers didn’t get a chance to escape their homes in search of higher ground. The water level reached higher than 1.5 metres in some spots and villagers reported strong currents. The flood began to subside at around 6pm and the water level is expected to return to normal today if there is no more heavy rain.

Muang district in Nakhon Ratchasima also experienced flooding yesterday. At 4:30pm, a section of Highway 304 in front of Surathampitak School experienced a 40-centimetre-deep flood, causing a 2 kilometre long traffic jam. The water ran from the highway into the city of Nakhon Ratchasima – or Korat – causing government workers to open drain covers to help alleviate the situation.

SOURCE: ThaiRath