Flash floods in Nan (photos)

21 สิงหาคม 2557

60-year-old man swept away as flash floods hit eight villages in Nan province. 300 homes swept away & corn plantations damaged.

Truck caught in flood waters of flash floods in Nan that have swept away more than 300 homes in eight villages, halted public utilities and ruined crops.

FLOODS

60-year-old man missing in Nan floods

300 households hit as river banks breached
21/08/2014
Post Reporters

A 60-year-old man was swept away early Wednesday as flash floods hit eight villages in Nan province, affecting more than 300 households in the area.

Heavy rain caused the Nam Ngob river to overflow, inundating houses, vast agricultural areas and public utilities across three tambons of Thung Chang district.

Rescuers are searching for the missing man, identified as Khuk Takham. His house, located near the river, was also swept away by the torrent.

The Nan-Thung Chang road was impassable for a short period at the height of the floods, but waters were receding Wednesday morning.

Maj Gen Vichak Siribansop, commander of the Nan army circle's peace-keeping force, and Nan governor Ukrit Pheungsopha deployed soldiers and officials to provide assistance to flood-hit residents, remove debris obstructing roads and clean up mud left by the deluge.

In Phrae, forest runoff meanwhile caused the spillway of Huay Thap Toon reservoir to overflow, flooding Chuang Chompu village in tambon Tao Poon, Song district. Local residents were forced to flee their homes.

More than 50 houses and two factories were damaged. One the damaged factories produced Otop (One District One Tambon) incense stick containers to make money for the community.

The strong currents also swept away the fences of many houses.

On Wednesday, local authorities surveyed damage from the flooding and sent fire trucks to remove mud from homes.

Agricultural areas, mostly corn plantations, were severely damaged by flooding, according to local officials.

In Lampang, forest runoff inundated two communities in Wang Nua and Muang Pan districts late Tuesday night.

Ekkrit Jittankul, head of Lampang disaster prevention and mitigation office's Wang Nua branch office, said runoff triggered by several days of heavy downpours caused Lam Huay Maesuk stream to overflow, causing a surge of water to flood more than 20 houses in Maesuk Wang Nua and Maesuk Pasak communities in Wang Nua district.

However, floodwater levels stayed below one metre and the situation in the area returned to normal Wednesday afternoon, he said.

In Phayao, runoff induced by heavy rain ravaged Muang district in the early hours of Wednesday, damaging paddy fields and chilli plantations in 10 villages across tambon Jampawai.

Chatchai Promlert, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said floods have hit 3,627 villages in 31 provinces across the country since May 5.

A total of 372,443 people from 116,377 households have been affected by the flooding that has so far claimed two lives.

Flooding has eased in most provinces, Mr Chatchai said. Provincial disaster prevention and mitigation offices are cooperating with military units to help flood victims and survey damage.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/427842/60-year-old-man-missing-in-nan-floods

This is where a row of homes stood in the Nan province village until a flash flood swept through and took away 300 houses. (Photos by Rarinthorn Phetcharoen, Post Today)

Flash floods leave branches, tree stumps and mud piled up in a community in Thung Chang district of Nan. About 300 houses in the area were hit by the floods, and a 60-year-old man is reported missing.