Northern Thailand
Thousand’s Homeless as Floods Submerge Northeastern Thailand
BANGKOK – Floods in northeastern Thailand have left 23,000 people homeless in evacuation shelters. Floods have submerged homes and roads as anger grows over the government’s “slow” emergency response.
Torrential monsoon rains have hammered the North and Northeast for the last two weeks. Causing flash floods and mudslides. Families have been evacuated from their homes in boats or makeshift rafts.
Since Aug 29, 32 people have been killed from flooding, Thailand’s disaster department said Saturday.
Two weather events are behind the widespread floods, Storm Podul and a tropical depression that formed over the South China Sea.
Rescue Workers Save Buffalo Effected by Floods
Local media reports from the worst-hit province of Ubon Ratchathani showed people wading through chest-deep water. Rescuers in boats trying to steer buffalo to higher ground.
Flooding in the province, has been exacerbated by rising water levels in the Moon and Chi rivers. The flooding in Ubon Ratchathani, has been declared the worst in 17 years.
Ubon Ratchathani’s plight started trending on Twitter this week with the hashtag #SaveUbon.
Aerial Shot of the Floods in Northeastern Thailand
Aerial shots of the flood-hit plains blanketed with muddy river water have been widely shared on social media.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha on Saturday said that he has told agencies to “expedite assistance” to those in the affected areas.
Officials continue to provide updates every 6 hours, with The Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department saying flooding remains serious.
Meanwhile, a report examining the effects of tropical storms Podul and Kajiki says that widespread flooding has now affected about 400,000 households in nearly 7,000 villages, in 32 provinces.
The Associated Press
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