TV show to rally aid for victims while communities still battered by mud, water, rain
Provinces along the Chao Phya River were anxiously monitoring the flood situation last night while those in the Yom River basin remained critically affected by floodwaters due to increased rainfall.
While the four southern provinces of Satun, Trang, Songkhla and Phatthalung were warned of flash flooding and landslides over the next few days, the Mineral Resources Department extended warnings to 12 other provinces, saying they, also, faced the risk of flash floods and landslides.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister's Office Minister Kritsana Srihalak said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had ordered that aid for Uttaradit's Nam Pad landslide victims be integrated into a fund-raising programme for flood victims that will be aired live on TV Channels 9 and 11 tomorrow night.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department deputy chief Srisombat Pornprasit reported late yesterday that 82 districts in 16 provinces were flooded, affecting 570,142 people and damaging 3,681,912 rai of farmlands.
The death toll from the flooding stands at 82, with Phichit province at the top with 23 deaths.
Srisombat warned people living in risky areas in 35 provinces, where heavy rain was still falling, that they faced further danger from flash flooding and landslides. Residents living along the Chao Phraya River were told to monitor the floodwater situation, move their belongings to higher ground and build sandbag barriers.
In Uttaradit's Nam Pad district, two more bodies have been found in the Khlong Tron National Park area, bringing the death toll from the landslide there to six, while Yingsak Insridee, 5, remains missing. A cremation ceremony for the six who met their deaths in the landslide will be held at Wat Chaichanapol today.
Prime Minister's Office Minister Kritsana said the prime minister had ordered urgent repairs to roads and bridges in Nam Pad, while the ICT Ministry and the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department had been asked to solve disaster-warning problems in the area.
Kritsana said the Uttaradit governor had set up three coordination centres at two schools and a temple where affected residents could seek temporary shelter.
The Nam Pad landslide damage will be discussed at today's Cabinet meeting, she said, affirming that the government would pick up flood-compensation payments that were overdue from the previous government.
Prime Minister Yingluck is expected to assign an MP to each flood-stricken province in the Cabinet meeting.
The prime minister will also preside over the Ruam phalang Thai chuay Thai nam tuam (uniting Thais' power to aid flood victims) fund-raising programme tomorrow from 8.30pm to 9.30pm at Government House, to be broadcast live on Channel 9 and 11, Kritsana said.
Early yesterday morning, concrete flood barriers along the Nan River in Phichit's Taphan Hin district burst. The surge of floodwater swept away three homes and inundated about 1,000 more. Residents had fled for safety before the barrier collapsed.
In Chumphon's Patho district, a landslide in Tambon Phatho swept over a house at 1am. The five residents escaped in time, and officials evacuated residents from five nearby houses as a precaution. A four-metre-high landslide also swept across the Lang Suan-Ranong Road (Highway number 4006), making it impassable.
In Phatthalung's Tamot district, floodwaters from forests on the Banthat Mountain Range severely eroded the banks of the Tamot Canal, causing land to subside beneath two houses and a village pavilion, leaving them about one metre lower. Villagers used wooden poles to support the three buildings to prevent their collapse while local officials brought in heavy machines, landfill and rocks to strengthen the banks of the canal.
In Angthong's Mueang district, a large volume of floodwater inundated 100 riverside homes in Tambon Talad Kruad after three sections of sandbag barriers along the Chao Phya River collapsed on Sunday night. As affected residents moved their belongings to higher ground in panic, the nearby Wat Tal Jet orphans' home was flooded to a depth of two metres. Older children hurriedly built a temporary walking bridge to evacuate 150 other orphans to the temple hall.
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