Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) chief Chatchai Phromlert on Saturday sent urgent letters to warn 39 districts in 10 southern provinces of more downpours, flooding and landslides.

All branches were asked to work with local authorities to complete flood prevention plans. The affected provinces are Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Narathiwat, Krabi, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Phatthalung and Yala.

Nakhon Si Thammarat could declare Chulabhorn district as a flood disaster zone after an initial assessment found that flooding of up to a meter deep had affected 30,000 people, or 12,000 households.

Farmland and roads in the district were inundated, with seven schools temporarily closed. A five-year-old boy died in the flooding on Friday.

As heavy rain continued to fall yesterday, Chulabhorn was swamped along with Cha-uat and Ron Piboon districts while roads in Sichon, Thung Song and Noppitam, as well as some low-lying areas of Muang district, were also flooded.

Residents living around the Khao Luang mountain range were told to evacuate as the cumulative rainfall went beyond 200 millimeters, posing a risk of landslides and forest runoffs. So far, residents of three villages in Sichon have been evacuated due to flash floods.

In Pak Phanang district, the city area suffered flooding from seawater inflows while piles of garbage and sand were swept onto the seaside road.

In Pattani, where a continuous downpour caused the Pattani River to rise and send overflows to riverside homes, an 11-year-old boy with special needs drowned after being swept into the torrential Lakoh Canal in Ma Yor district yesterday morning.

In Surat Thani province, floodwater of up to one metre spread to eight districts – Tha Chana, Chaiya, Vibhavadi, Khiri Ratthanikhom, Phunphin, Tha Chang, Don Sak, and Kanchanadit.

It was reported that at least 5,000 families, or 15,000 people, were affected by flooding there, which caused damage estimated at Bt10 million (US$280,700) .

Two deaths were reported in Surat Thani – Phunphin woman Amporn Chuphromkaew, 65, and six-year-old schoolboy Nattapol Manachak in Kanchanadit.

Fisherman Suthep Abmanee, 57, went missing after his long-tail boat capsized at Phum Riang Bay in Chaiya district. Ten homes in Tambon Wiang of Chaiya had their roofs destroyed in a rainstorm, although no injuries were reported.

In Trang's Rassada district, 37 villages in four tambons were inundated, affecting some 5,000 residents, while a main road to the district office was under almost a metre of water. Trang Governor Siripat Pattanakul warned all districts, especially those near the Banthat mountain range and Trang River, to follow weather updates and prepare emergency plans.

Trang Railway head Wirat Khongdee said flooding of a section of track in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Thung Song district cut train passengers off from Trang train station. Four special buses were laid on to transport them to their destination safety.

In Songkhla, the districts of Muang, Hat Yai, Na Mom and Saba Yoy were inundated. Floodwater at areas outside Hat Yai city receded yesterday but canals, especially Klong U-tapao, were still on a yellow-flag alert, signifying flood risk.

Klong U-tapao was expected to send overflows to Hat Yai later last night, worsened by a deluge from upstream Sadao district.

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