5 provinces declared disaster areas from Vamco flooding

Chon Buri, including tourist mecca Pattaya, and four other eastern provinces have been declared disaster areas following heavy flooding after the area was lashed with rainfall on Wednesday night and Thursday.

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Flood waters tore through a road in tambon Huay Yai in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. CHANAT KATANYU

5 provinces declared disaster areas from Vamco flooding

Post Reporters

Chon Buri, including tourist mecca Pattaya, and four other eastern provinces have been declared disaster areas following heavy flooding after the area was lashed with rainfall on Wednesday night and Thursday.

In Pattaya, citywide flooding reached 30 centimetres after just 45 minutes.

A scene from central Pattaya yesterday. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL

Wednesday's deluge, caused by tropical storm Vamco, continued all day and into the night, leaving most parts of Bang Lamung district under a metre or more of water.

Pattaya mayor Ittipol Khunpluem said the disaster declaration would help accommodate state relief and assistance to the area despite the fact that most of the flooding had subsided.

However, authorities are closely monitoring the weather since rainfall has continued to a certain extent, Mr Ittipol said.

Tourism activities in Pattaya were continuing except at sea, he said.

A woman stands inside her flooded grocery store waiting for the water to recede in Pattaya. CHANAT KATANYU

Storm surges and high-level roads are the main factors blocking water drainage in Pattaya and nearby Rayong, causing heavy flooding to wreak havoc in many parts of the area, an expert said.

Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (HAII) director Royol Chitradon said high water levels and sewage had impeded storm water from flowing into the sea, causing continual  flooding in Pattaya and central areas of Rayong.

Drainage problems in the coastal provinces happen when flood-prone areas are hit by storms and heavy rains every year, he said.

In addition, high-level roads blocked water drainage.

Once again, sewage hampered drainage efforts in the area. CHANAT KATANYU

On Thursday, the government declared four other provinces disaster areas after they were battered by downpours caused by the tropical storm.

They were Trat, Chanthaburi, Surin and Si Sa Ket which was the worst hit, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said.

The Meteorological Department reported that Vamco had "lost steam" and was downgraded to a low-pressure cell. But its remnants, coupled with the monsoon over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand will continue to bring heavy rain to some areas today.

People in many provinces have been warned to beware of flooding: Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Bangkok and surrounding provinces, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Trang, Krabi and Satun.

Teams of army officers are helping villagers move their belongings to higher ground in flood-hit areas.

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