Military units, along with disaster relief agencies and local authorities, are working around the clock to rescue residents who are trapped in their homes as floodwaters continue to rise across parts of the southern province of Songkhla, reports the Bangkok Post.
Soldiers with the Fourth Army Region were instructed to help evacuate patients from hospitals in flood-hit areas yesterday (Nov 23), in addition to delivering essential supplies to stranded residents.
Mobile medical units have also been set up at flood shelters to provide first aid and support vulnerable individuals.
Police, meanwhile, were ordered to patrol flood-hit communities throughout the day to prevent theft of properties, while traffic police put up warning signs to prevent motorists from getting stranded in flooded areas.
Rapid-response teams are also on standby to assist residents and support flood relief efforts, local authorities said.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Sunday visited Hat Yai to inspect the situation.
At the airport, he spoke to stranded passengers, including foreign tourists, before he received a briefing on relief operations.
He then boarded a truck to visit flood victims at a temporary shelter.
As of yesterday, 10 districts in Songkhla have been declared disaster-hit areas, with authorities in Hat Yai saying the situation in the economic hub of the southern region remains “critical”.
In the city, many streets in the main commercial area were submerged.
That said, water levels in some areas have begun to recede, allowing many stranded tourists from Malaysia to leave their hotels for the land border checkpoint, a hotel operator on Nipat Uthit 2 Road said.
Songkhla governor Rattasart Chidchoo said the floods, which began on Nov 19, have affected more than 465,000 people across 16 districts - most of whom, about 243,000, live in Hat Yai district. In Ranot district, strong winds have damaged more than 700 households. No casualties have been reported.
Local authorities have been instructed to maintain 24-hour communication lines and respond immediately to emergency calls.
Anutin said post-flood rehabilitation will begin as soon as conditions allow.
Outside the city, floodwaters from Sadao district overflowed into communities along the U-Tapao canal, submerging Thung Lung intersection.
Sections of the Pak Thong–Khuan Chong Road were cut off by runoff from Na Mom district, forcing many motorists to abandon their vehicles.
The local meteorological office said more intense showers can be expected across the lower South, including Songkhla, until Wednesday due to a strong monsoon trough over the Gulf of Thailand.