BANGKOK: Phuket City Municipality issued a red flood alert at 7.40am on Thursday (Oct 29), urging residents and businesses along Bang Yai Canal to move belongings to higher levels as persistent heavy rain and incoming runoff drove up water levels.
The municipality urged people beside the canal to immediately move electrical appliances, valuables and other possessions out of reach of potential flooding. Heavy rain across Phuket, combined with substantial inflows from neighbouring areas, had caused the canal to rise rapidly.
The municipality warned that further sustained rainfall could cause waterlogging and send the canal overflowing into homes. Officials were coordinating with other agencies to monitor vulnerable locations and urged residents to follow official announcements closely.
Karon Municipality temporarily closed Khok Tanot Road after heavy rain caused flooding, citing risks to people and property.
Separate reports identified two locations in Chalong where floodwater prevented small vehicles from passing:
Road outside Wat Tai, formally Wat Latthiwanaram, in Chalong subdistrict, Mueang Phuket district
7.45am: Phuket Info Center reported that floodwater was too deep for small cars and motorcycles to pass.
Khok Tanot traffic-light junction in Chalong
8.10am: Chalong Municipality urged motorists to avoid the junction because small vehicles could not pass through the floodwater.
Chalong Municipality also urged road users to exercise extra caution when travelling.
The Thai Meteorological Department forecast thundershowers across 70% of the southern west coast, with very heavy rain in parts of Phuket. The percentage describes the area expected to experience thundershowers.
The report also cited departmental radar observations showing moderate to very heavy rain across nine southern provinces.
The department attributed the unsettled weather to a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea and easterly winds across Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand. A high-pressure system, or cool air mass, from China was covering upper Thailand and the South China Sea.
Waves in the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand could exceed two metres in thundershowers. Boat operators were urged to check their routes, navigate cautiously and avoid storm areas. The news report also carried advice for small boats to remain ashore.
The report directed residents to the Phuket mobile weather-monitoring station’s online service to follow Bang Yai Canal water levels and urged people in vulnerable areas to keep checking official warnings. - The Nation/ANN
