Weekend storms damage 35 houses

PHUKET: Around 35 houses were damaged during storms over the weekend, which caused damage around the island estimated at more than 3 million baht.

The Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) reported that heavy rain and strong winds during Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday toppled trees and electricity pylons, damaging buildings and cars and causing widespread blackouts.

In Phuket city 25 houses were damaged, 20 in Phuket Municipality and 5 in Tambon Wichit.

Chatchawan Munpolsri, Duty Chief at the ODPM, said that three power poles in front of Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s mansion were blown down, damaging a car and causing power cuts in the area behind Phuket Provincial Hall for nine hours from midnight on Saturday. In Sam Kong, a burst transformer caused an hour-long blackout.

“In addition to this, there was damage worth about a million baht in the area of Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus,” K. Chatchawan added.

Eight houses in Thalang and two houses in Patong were damaged, and a tree fell into the car park of Kathu Police Station.