Thailand Floods Of 2013

[Flashermac]

Threat from Wutip eases, but more storms imminent

 

 

 

Officials have been urged to not be complacent about a fresh wave of stormy weather approaching the country, despite Typhoon Wutip passing through Thailand with no serious damage.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi warned on Tuesday that more storms may follow Wutip, which weakened from a typhoon into a tropical depression when it hit Thailand, bringing heavy rain.

 

Wutip entered Nakhon Phanom on Monday night and moved inland, causing downpours in the province and in Nong Khai, Loei, Sakon Nakhon, Phetchabun and Uttaradit.

 

The chairman of the Water and Flood Management Commission declared that the tropical depression no longer poses any danger, but stressed that the country is still facing other possible storms after Wutip passes.

 

Floods have so far caused 23 deaths this year, and are still ravaging 25 provinces, mostly in the North and Northeast, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said.

 

Provinces experiencing the worst of floods include Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Prachin Buri and Ayutthaya.

 

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Offices in Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket predicted that flood levels will decrease over the next three days as officials drain water into the Moon River, a tributary of the Mekong.

 

Mr Plodprasop said the situation in Prachin Buri's flooded Kabin Buri and Si Maha Phot districts was improving because water is flowing down to Prachantakham and Muang districts, but said the situation in the provincial business town is still "serious".

 

He blamed a poor city planning in Kabin Buri for obstructing water flow, and said a plan to construct a new canal to guide water from the Prachin Buri River to Bang Pakong is under consideration.

 

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office in Prachin Buri said the water level in Kabin Buri decreased by 12 centimetres on Tuesday, but was increasing in Muang district. Seven districts in the province have hit by floods.

 

In Ayutthaya, eight districts remained flooded including Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.

 

Officials in Ayutthaya warned that water levels in the districts are continuing to rise, due to water being discharged from the Chao Phraya, Pasak Jolasid and Phra Rama VI dams.

 

Wutip left a trail of destruction in its wake with at least three people reported dead in Vietnam Tuesday, roofs ripped off thousands of homes and dozens of fishermen missing.

 

Roads were flooded, sea dykes damaged and power lines torn up along the central coastline, including in top tourist attractions such as the World Heritage Site of Hoi An and the ancient capital of Hue.

 

In Hoi An, an old trading port known for its traditional wooden architecture, streets around the river were under water although the main tourist districts were not affected, city officials said.

 

Flooding was also reported in Hue and authorities warned there could be more rain coming.

 

High winds ripped the roofs off around 95,000 houses and tens of thousands of hectares of crops were destroyed after Wutip - packing winds of up to 103 kilometres an hour - hit the country.

 

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung put local authorities on high alert for flash floods and landslides in the aftermath of the typhoon as officials battled to clear up the worst of the damage.

 

China deployed navy warships and aircraft on Monday to search for survivors after three of its fishing boats sank in rough waters whipped up by Wutip, leaving more than 70 people missing.

 

 

http://www.bangkokpo...orms-on-the-way

[cavanami]

No rain in Samut Sakhon yesterday or last night. Quite surprised!

 

The rain is good here as all the dogs stop barking and the hordes of people

walking around is greatly reduced. Makes for a good night's sleep!!

[waerth]

http://bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/372820/floods-arrive-in-chachoengsao

 

Water floods into Chachoengsao

 

CHACHOENGSAO – People along the Bang Pakong River in this lower central province are now feeling the affects of rising water levels flowing from flooded neighbouring Prachin Buri.

 

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said in its latest  update on Thursday that Chachoengsao is one of 24 provinces that are flooded. Reflief officials said Chachoensao is taking water from Prachin Buri - mainly Kabin and Si Maha Phot districts - where the situation is improving. Water from the Prachin Buri River and the runoff from Khao Yai National Park, which hit Kabin Buri and later Si Maha Phot, now is flowing downstream to Ban Sang, Prachatakham and Muang districts of Prachin Buri. It also is causing the rising water levels in some districts of Chachoengsao bordering Prachin Buri, including Bang Khla. Water in Prachin Buri is being drained to the Prachin Buri and Bang Pakong rivers.

 

Adul Nakbunbutr, who lives in village 4 on the Bang Pakong riverside in Bang Khla, said the water was increasing rapidly and was up to 50cm deep places on Thursday morning, forcing people to move their belongings to the second floor of their houses . The Meteorological Department warned of more rain in central provinces including Chachoengsao, Prachin Buri and Bangkok until Saturday. Kanisorn Chopanya, an official of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office in Prachin Buri, said flooding in Prachantakham and Muang districts remained serious. Almost two million people in 24 provinces were affected by the floods, which had claimed 27 lives, according to the department.

[waerth]

http://bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/372817/bangkok-poll-says-half-of-city-dwellers-fear-floods-repeat

 

Half of Bangkokians 'fear floods repeat'

 

Around half of people in Bangkok are concerned that the capital will be hit by floods again this year, according to research by Bangkok Poll.

The pollsters at Bangkok University based their conclusions on interviews with 1,190 people living and working in the capital.

A total of 48.7% of respondents said reports on flooding in several provinces have made them feel increasingly concerned about possible floods in Bangkok, while some 54% believed floods would hit the city this year, though the situation would not be as critical as it was in 2011.

Despite that, 41.5% of respondents said they are not worried about potential floods, while 35% said they were sure that there would be no floods in the capital this year.

On the government’s ability to deal with possible floods this year in comparison to 2011, 50.2% said officials are better prepared, 36% said the level of readiness was the same and 13.8% thought authorities were less prepared.

Asked about their top concern in the event that floods do hit Bangkok, 50.3% said they feared the government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) would struggle to handle the situation in a coordinated manner, 39.2% said problems with corruption could hamper efforts to deal with any flood, and 38.1% said state agencies were likely to be unprepared to carry out work such as dredging canals and providing water pumps.

Questioned on their confidence in the ability of the authorities to prevent the city from flooding, respondents gave the BMA an average grade of 5.96 out of ten, and the government an average of 5.69 out of ten.

[Boo Radley]

 

Forensic police in Prachinburi province forced to work in 30 cm of flood water after the local Prachinburi river overflowed its banks in Prachinburi town. Many other government and office buildings were affected.

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/newspaper/373626 (03/10/13)

[cavanami]

Rain all night and looks to be rain all day today, here in Samut Sakhon.

No sois flooded, where I am at.

It is a slow but very steady rain.

 

We did not have flooding two years ago but 10 ~ 20 Km north of us had 1 ~ 2m of the flooding!

[Flashermac]

Flood toll at 30, Bangkok water levels to rise

 

 

Nearly three million residents of 12,667 villages in 250 districts of 33 provinces have been affected by flooding since Sept 17, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported on Friday.

 

The department confirmed that the death toll from the floods rose to 30 as of Friday morning - 11 in Surin, nine in Si Sa Ket, five in Prachin Buri, two each in Nakhon Nayok and Yasothon, and one in Sa Kaeo.

 

Official figures obtained from residency rolls listed the following as damaged by the floodwaters: 14,703 houses, 2,168,466 rai of farmland, 4,947 roads, 201 bridges, 218 schools, 325 temples and 56 state office buildings.

 

In Nakhon Ratchasima, floods had hit more than 200 households after more than five million cubic metres of water has been released from the full Lam Chiang Klai reservoir. The reservoir has a capacity of 27 million cubic metres of water but it held as much as 35 million cubic metres as of Friday morning.

 

In Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket, more than 15,000 people were moved to higher ground for their safety.

 

The department issued a warning of heavy rain over the next few days in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Petchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Ranong, Phang Nga, Chumphon, Surat Thani and Phuket.

 

Meanwhile, City Hall's flood prevention centre reported that about 80% of Bangkok and nearby provinces would get rain throughout Friday.

 

Many areas of the capital had seen heavy rain since Thursday night. Main roads, such as Phahon Yothin, Kaset-Navamin, Lad Prao, Rama IV, Chaeng Wattana and Ngam Wong Wan, were flooded, causing traffic congestion.

 

The flood prevention centre said there would be heavy rain in some areas of Bangkok during the day.

 

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said more than 850 households in 25 communities could be hit by flooding as water levels in the Chao Phraya river are expected to increase in the middle of this month.

 

The governor said water levels could rise by two metres above sea level on Oct 15 and 16 due to water run-off from the North.

 

Flood walls stretching more than 86 kilometres along the river banks should be completely built by 2014, he said.

 

A survey conducted by Bangkok Poll shows that 54% of respondents are concerned that floods would hit the capital again this year, though the situation would not be as critical as it was in 2011.

 

Bangkok University pollsters based their conclusions on a survey of 1,190 people living and working in the city.

 

A total of 48.7% of respondents said reports on flooding in several provinces have made them increasingly concerned about possible floods in Bangkok.

 

The government has said that Bangkok would likely be spared from major flooding this year, and said a repeat of the massive flooding of 2011, in which 813 people were killed nationwide and economic losses topped 40 billion US dollars, was unlikely.

 

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/373020/flood-toll-at-30-bangkok-water-levels-to-rise

[think_too_mut]

Toyota at Choechangsao seems to be spared. It's about 15km from the floods. There they make hundreds of thousands of Vigo a year.

[cavanami]

Cannot really tell the actual situation unless you go there.

 

Two years ago, the TV News showed the same pictures over and over again...and NONE of the real events...

 

...like tens of thousands "camping" on the side of the toll ways! I'm talking #1 and #2 highways!

 

First time I headed up that way, went up over a small hill and was shocked to see the two right lanes blocked

with thousands of people living/camping there! WTF!!!

 

That's was the real scene but NEVER reported in the news media!!!

[Flashermac]

Pasak Jolasid too dam full

 

 

 

Residents downstream from the Pasak Jolasid dam are bracing for more flooding as the reservoir has exceeded its maximum capacity and more water must be released.

 

The release of additional water from the dam in Lop Buri is expected raise the water level in lower Pasak River by about one metre, causing potential problems in Ayutthaya.

 

Boonchob Homkesorn, director of the South Pasak Water Maintenance Project, has alerted residents in Tha Rua, Nakhon Luang and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya districts of the central province.

 

He said the Pasak Jolasid reservoir now contained 974 million cubic metres of water, above its maximum capacity of 960 million.

 

The dam will have to increase water discharges by almost 80% to 1,249 cubic metres per second in order to reduce the water level as soon as possible.

 

The dam website reported that as of 9am Saturday, the water volume had reached 1,015 million cubic metres, 29% above the normal storage level of 785 million.

 

The dam on Saturday morning was discharging 700.54 cubic metres of water per second, against an inflow of 1,163.14 cubic metres per second.

 

The water discharged from Pasak Jolasid will flow to the Phra Ram VI dam in Ayutthaya's Tha Rua district and be released into the Rapeepat Canal at 150 cubic metres per second.

 

The Phra Ram VI dam will also discharge 800 cubic metres per second into lower Pasak River, which will increase the water level by one metre, which may cause floods in the three districts.

 

During the great flood in 2011, the Phra Ram VI dam released water at 1,249 cubic metres per second into the Pasak River.

 

In a related development, two dams in Kanchanaburi are still able to accept almost 4 billion cubic metres of water.

 

The Srinakarin dam currently holds 15.2 billion cubic metres of water, or 85.7% of capacity, and could take in 2.53 billion more. The inflow into the dam on Friday was 66.1 million cubic metres and the outflow was 15.1 million.

 

The Vajiralongkorn dam has 7.43 billion cubic metres, or 83.87% of capacity, leaving room for another 1.43 billion cubic metres. It had an inflow of 37.1 million cubic metres and was discharging 15.05 million cubic metres on Friday.

 

The Meteorological Department on Saturday issued a severe weather warning for people in 8 provinces in the East and South.

 

The department warned that people living near hillsides and waterways in Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chumphon should brace for heavy rain and possible flash flooding on Sunday and Monday.

 

There will also be strong wind-generated waves in the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand. All shipping should proceed with caution and small boats should remain ashore during this period, it said.

 

Thirty people had died as a result of the flooding across the country as of Friday, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported.

 

It said 11 deaths had taken place in Surin, nine in Si Sa Ket, five in Prachin Buri, two each in Nakhon Nayok and Yasothon, and one in Sa Kaeo.

 

Official figures based on residency rolls listed 14,703 houses damaged by floodwaters, along with 2,168,466 rai of farmland, 4,947 roads, 201 bridges, 218 schools, 325 temples and 56 state office buildings.

 

In Nakhon Ratchasima, at least 200 households faced flooding after more than 5 million cubic metres of water were released from the full Lam Chiang Klai reservoir.

 

In Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket, more than 15,000 people were moved to higher ground for their safety.

 

In Bangkok, Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said water levels could rise by two metres above sea level on Oct 15 and 16 due to water runoff from the North.

 

The government has said that Bangkok would likely be spared from major flooding this year, and said a repeat of the massive flooding of 2011, in which 813 people were killed nationwide and economic losses topped $40 billion, was unlikely.

 

 

http://www.bangkokpo...ly-in-ayutthaya