Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) - Thailand's southern province Ranong has seen flash floods two days in a row. The first wave on Tuesday night prompted a school to close while yesterday's flood at noon resulted in an evacuation order for 3,000 households.
Flood water yesterday hit three tambons in Kapur district, inundating 500 households in urban communities and another 1,000 in remote areas. Another 1,500 communities, including a large area of pigpens and shrimp ponds, were later hit, despite flood warnings that followed from the incident in a separate district of Ranong late on Tuesday night.
Those evacuated have not yet been permitted to return to their homes for fear of a third flash flood amid high tides and high rainfall, said Wichai Sricharoen, head of the local tambon administrative organisation.
Flood relief agencies have been readied in Ranong and neighbouring Chumphon while those in Surat Thani are on standby after lowlying districts were flooded, with 60 households evacuated. Other Surat Thani districts affected are Vibhavadi and Khiri Ratthanikhom where lowlevel inundation has affected residents living near the Tapi River.
National parks close routes
In Phatthalung, waterfalls in a number of national parks have been declared offlimits to tourists after heavy rain in the past few days, while trekking paths along Banthad mountain ridge have also been closed indefinitely.
In the North, four villages in tambon Ban Kew of Lampang's Mae Tha district have been hit by flash floods while rainwatermeasuring devices have been installed to monitor levels at 10 locations in Chiang Mai's Doi SuthepPui national park.
Park chief ranger Amphorn Panmongkhol said closure of parts or even the entire park could be ordered if rainwater levels neared dangerous levels, especially in areas near Mae Sa and Mok Fa waterfalls in Mae Rim and Mae Taeng districts respectively.
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