Schools closed, more residents evacuated as South floods

Floods continued to wreak havoc in the deep South yesterday, with roads submerged, schools closed and at least 130 people evacuated.

In Narathiwat, flood water has covered several areas and disrupted the lives of about 6,500 residents. In the worst-hit spots, water levels soared to 1.5 metres.

Officials yesterday evacuated 28 people in hard-hit areas to the Tessabarn 4 School, which is serving as an evacuation centre, raising the number of evacuees there to 158.

Although days-long downpours eased yesterday, flooding has not subsided. At least four schools in Narathiwat's Muang and Rangae districts have suspended classes indefinitely, after 24 roads were flooded to a depth of 50-80 centimetres.

Officials are using pumps in a bid to clear the roads.

Typical of the many vulnerable residents who are suffering was Juan Jornsuwan, a 36-year-old visually impaired woman lamented that flooding was making her life even harder.

In Songkhla, two districts were yesterday declared flood-hit zones. In Rattaphum district, 4,240 people were struggling with floods and 2,240 rai of farms and 320 rai of paddy fields were inundated.

"The damage has reached well over Bt9 million," said Songkha's disaster prevention and mitigation chief So Hemakul.

He said that while Rattaphum had been declared a flood-hit zone, the Klong Hoi Khong district had been declared a storm-hit zone.

"The storm has damaged many houses in Klong Joi Khong," said So, who pledged to deliver help quickly to those affected.