Heavy rain causes flooding in Yala and Narathiwat

Heavy rain causes flooding in Yala and Narathiwat
Teachers and students seek refuge on the rooftop of a school building in tambon Balor, Raman district in Yala. Large swathes of the province are flooded following several days of heavy rain. X:@Skyboyz15

Narathiwat: Two days of heavy rain in the South has caused widespread flooding in Narathiwat and Yala provinces, affecting 67 tambons in 16 districts.

In Narathiwat, nine districts were flooded yesterday — Waeng, Sukhirin, Chanae, Rangae, Sungai Padi, Si Sakhon, Cho Airong, Yingo and Ruso — affecting 9,558 households with 37,900 people in 44 tambons, local authorities said yesterday.

Hardest hit was Yingo district, where 2,755 households with 11,020 people were affected, followed by Chanae district where 2,115 households and 9,626 people were affected and a school was damaged.

Rangae district saw 2,073 households and 8,087 people affected, and seven schools damaged.

In Yala, flooding hit 23 tambons in seven districts — Thanto, Yaha, Kabang, Bannang Sata, Raman, Krong Pinang and Muang.

Roads and houses in Yala town, particularly those in low-lying areas, were inundated. The Tuebo-Sateng Nok road was about one metre under water yesterday morning and impassable for small vehicles.

Talad Kao and Withoon Uthit communities were flooded by water from nearby Bae Mo marsh. Tessabal 5 School in the Talad Kao area was badly flooded and closed for two days or until the situation returns to normal.

Chaiwat Junthirapong, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said provincial offices were working with local authorities to drain water from flooded areas and survey the damage so compensation can be provided.

For help, people can call the department’s complaint centre at 1784. They can also follow disaster warnings on the THAI DISASTER ALERT application.