Heavy rains across Phuket bring widespread floods, landslide

PHUKET: Heavy rain across Phuket this morning has caused widespread flooding and a landslip in Kamala, after the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a nationwide weather warning marking typhoon Doksuri crossing the Vietnam coast.



By The Phuket News

Friday 15 September 2017, 11:09AM

The onslaught of wet weather is expected to continue until monday, said the Phuket TMD office. Image: TMD

Heavy rains across Phuket have caused widepread flooding across the the island this morning (Sept 15). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub)

Heavy rains across Phuket have caused widepread flooding across the the island this morning (Sept 15). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub)

Heavy rains across Phuket have caused widepread flooding across the the island this morning (Sept 15). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub)

Heavy rains across Phuket have caused widepread flooding across the the island this morning (Sept 15). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub)

At least 80mm of rainfall drenched Phuket Town and surrounding areas within just three hours this morning, from 7am to 10am, the TMD Phuket office confirmed to The Phuket News.

Major roads in and around Phuket Town have been inundated with floodwaters, causing traffic delays, and reports of houses being flooded in Koh Kaew, Kathu and other heavy residential areas are being received by The Phuket News.

Meanwhile, Patong Police have confirmed another landslip on the hills behind the resort town and that Patong Police Station itself has yet again been subjected to severe flooding.

A TMD officer at the main weather station at Phuket International Airport this morning told The Phuket News that more heavy rain and flood warnings were expected.

“This weather is expected to continue until about Monday (Sept 18),” the officer said.

TMD Director-General Wanchai Sakudomchai issued a weather warning for North, Northeast, East, Central and South Thailand, including Phuket, early this morning.

“At 4am LST on 15 September, Typhoon Doksuri over the South China Sea was centred at 480 kilometres Southeast of Vinh, Vietnam or at latitude 17.8 degree North, longitude 107.9 degree East, with maximum sustained winds about 130 km/hr,” Mr Wanchai said in the warning.

“This storm is moving west- northwestward at speed of 25 km/hr. It is expected to move through Tonkin Bay and make landfall over Vinh, Vietnam today (15 September) and then downgrade to tropical storm over Laos and the upper North-East of Thailand,” the warning noted.

“The strong southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea and the South. More rain will be likely with torrential downpour in the North, the North-east, the central, the East and the South.

“People should beware of severe weather conditions and stay tuned for the weather update,” the warning added.

Affected areas along the Andaman Coast include Phang Nga, Ranong, Krabi, Trang and Satun.

“During 15-18 September, the wind waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf gets strong with waves up to 2-3 meters high. All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats keep ashore,” the warning urged.

– Reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub, Shela Riva and Tanyaluk Sakoot