Chiang Rai News
Mae Sai Chiang Rai Inundated by Flood Waters, 2,000 Homes Flooded
Torrential rains from Tropical Storm Mulan caused flash floods on Saturday, with towns at the Chiang Rai-Tachilek border submerged after flood water levels breached an embankment dam in Myanmar.
More than 2,000 households were inundated by flood waters in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai township and Myanmar’s Tachilek border town on Sunday.
An embankment dam located 37 kilometers north of the border was breached on Friday, causing the Sai river to rise rapidly and triggering the flood. Mae Sai’s mayor, Narongphol Kid-arn, said the dike along the river had been breached, causing flooding in homes and streets.
He reported that the water level was at chest and waist levels in some parts.
People stranded in their homes in Mae Sai receive food from relief personnel wading through flooded streets. As far as we know, no casualties have been reported.
Thailand’s National Water Command Centre on Saturday warned that heavy rain in Laos could raise the Mekong River’s water level by up to 2 meters from Aug. 14-18.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, six northern provinces are still under water as a result of heavy rain.
More Rain for Chiang Rai and the North
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported that 609 villages in 109 Tambons and 34 districts in 11 provinces — Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Nan, Lampang, Phrae, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Phanom, Loei and Prachin Buri — were flooded, affecting 5,477 households. One villager in Chiang Rai was killed in the floods.
There are still some 391 villages flooded in Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Nan and Phitsanulok provinces in the North, but the waters are receding.
In accordance with the Finance Ministry’s regulations, disaster prevention and mitigation offices in the provinces have been instructed to work closely with local administrations to assess the damage and help the affected people.
In the North and northeastern parts of the country are likely to experience heavy rain today as a result of the southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand.
