500 Phuket homes affected by floods

PHUKET: Tentative estimates by officials are that about 500 households were affected by the floods yesterday.

The news follows Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana’s confirmation that despite more rain today, the floodwaters in Phuket Town have completely receded and the situation has returned to normal.

“Our trucks had washed off all the mud from the main roads in Phuket Town by last night and cleanup teams finished their work on the main roads by early this morning,” Mayor Somjai told the Gazette today.

The cleanup team is now focusing on the mud and rubbish on smaller streets in the municipality.

“I will have to order my team to do the cleanup one more time, just to make sure that the whole town is 100 per cent clean,” she said.

The additional cleanup on main streets will start after 8pm tonight to avoid causing long tailbacks and delays.

Though information is still being collected to determine the total cost of damages from the flooding, tentative estimates are that over 2,000 people were affected by the flooding.

“We have a lot of businesses and schools in the Phuket City Municipality area, so I think the cost of the damage could be quite high. Nonetheless, we can provide some immediate help, such as dry goods and bedding for those in need,” Mayor Somjai said.

“We will coordinate our efforts with the Phuket Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. If anyone in the Phuket City Municipality needs help, they can come to us; we’ll do what we can,” she added.

— Chutharat Plerin