About 80 households at Ban Bang Yod in the Ipan tambon were inundated with three to four metres of water, while 24 other houses in low-lying areas were submerged to roof level.

District chief Thanit Phromthong said rescue teams picked up the worst-affected villagers in boats and took them to a temporary shelter in a community hall, while those with two-storey homes moved their belongings upstairs to wait for the waters to subside.

Transportation was limited to boats, and officials delivered bags of rice to each home as emergency assistance, Thanit said.

He said besides Ipan, flooding was bad in two other places: Bang Sawan tambon and Trai Sopa.

Seven flat-bottomed boats had been prepared in case further evacuations were necessary, he said.

It was estimated that crops on nearly 2,000 rai of land had been destroyed by the floods.

As rain continued and flood waters from neighbouring Krabi and Nakhon Si Thammarat surged, the Tapi River in Phrasaeng district was expected to continue rising in the next few days.

It rose to five metres yesterday. If it reached 5.5 metres, more riverside villages would be submerged, Thanit said.

The Nation

Surat Thani