The command centre is coordinating closely and sharing real-time data with the Meteorological Department, the National Statistical Office and the Hydro-Informatics Institute to guarantee rapid alerts in the event of further emergencies, especially in Hat Yai, the hardest-hit area, Mr Chaichanok said yesterday (Nov 26).
The war room is also working with private telecommunications firms, including SpaceX, Starlink and Line Thailand, reports the Bangkok Post. Line Thailand has activated its Line Alert system for flood warnings and opened a dedicated chat channel to support rescue efforts in the South, he said.
Patchara Anuntasilpa, permanent secretary for digital economy and society, has been assigned to Hat Yai since Tuesday to oversee cooperation between the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and all network service providers, the minister added.
“A key task underway is enhanced network node management, including shifting traffic from malfunctioning nodes to operational ones to maintain service continuity,” Mr Chaichanok said.
Another priority is strengthening mobile signals. Officials are coordinating with the NBTC to inspect high-potential signal towers in affected and surrounding areas, including boosting signal capacity and adjusting the direction of transmission masts to ensure residents can connect to a mobile signal regardless of their service provider.
The government is also accelerating upgrades to its emergency communications infrastructure, with a major focus on establishing a rapid data-collection and storage system to manage information more effectively, he said.
As the Digital Trunk Radio Service (DTRS) operated by state-owned National Telecom (NT) remains functional in Hat Yai, the company has been instructed to deploy a mobile DTRS unit from Surat Thani to reinforce communication capacity, he said. NT is also preparing to supply 50 DTRS client devices for immediate use in directing relief operations.
NT is also coordinating aerial searches for stranded residents using drones operated by volunteer teams, as well as drone-based delivery of essential supplies - including food and drinking water - to flood victims.
Thirty-three dead
It came as it was confirmed a total of 33 people had been killed by the severe flooding in the South as of yesterday, with water levels continuing to rise in most of the inundated provinces.
Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the flooding had caused the death of 33 people in seven southern provinces - nine in Nakhon Si Thammarat, four in Phatthalung, six in Songkhla, two each in Trang and Satun and five each in Pattani and Yala.
Causes of death included drowning, electric shock and landslides.
The disastrous flooding, fuelled by torrential rain, persisted in nine of the 14 southern provinces - Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
More than 2.78 million people’s lives have been severely disrupted, with hundreds of thousands of homes flooded.
The only bright note - the Meteorological Department expected the rain to slowy ease off between today into Monday next week.