Patong flooded again
PATONG: Phuket’s favorite entertainment district flooded again last night, less than a week after heavy rains inundated the town on the nights of October 9 and 10, leaving one tourist dead by electrocution.
After several days of partly sunny weather, the skies opened again last night.
Vichit Phuangsombat, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) told the Gazette that 69 millimeters of rain was recorded at the Bang Wad Dam monitoring station in the 24-hour period to 7 am today.
When asked about the flooding in Patong, K. Vichit said, “I can’t stop the rain from falling. Whether or not it floods depends on the Municipality’s flood prevention efforts – and on how [the authorities] deal with people who encroach on forest land.”
At a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura said he would tour the affected areas of Patong this afternoon.
Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, told the Gazette that the most recent flooding had
hampered efforts to repair the road at Kalim Beach, a section of which was washed out during the previous flood and remains impassable.
He added, however, that the most recent flooding did not cause any additional structural damage in the area.
