Residents of Southern Thailand have begun efforts to recover from Tropical Storm Pabuk, a once-in-three-decades weather system that hit Thailand’s coastline on Friday.
Pabuk affected 23 provinces and more than 700,000 people, with about 200,000 houses suffering blackouts or physical damage. At least four people have been reported dead, according to Komchadluek.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Nakhon Si Thammarat to lead recovery efforts. Aid for storm and flood victims has been delivered to hundreds of affected communities.
Meanwhile, provinces in the storm’s path that were least-affected have began easing back to normalcy.
Ferry boat services from Surat Thani to the popular Samui tourist island as well as Samui Airport operations restarted on Saturday after a two-day suspension, reported Travel Daily Media.
“Aside from it being a major inconvenience for our guests, I am pleased to report that we are all fine and have suffered no damage,” said Remko Kroesen, general manager at Banyan Tree Samui resort.
Meanwhile The Nation reports that in Songkhla, more than 200 schools and universities resumed classes today while fishing vessels restarted operations yesterday.
Pabuk made landfall in southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province at 12:45pm, before moving across southern Thailand, reported the BBC.
Affected provinces include: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi.
Tens of thousands of tourists fled affected islands including Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in a mass exodus ahead of the storm’s landing.
The storm downgraded to a depression early on Saturday as it moved into the Andaman Sea.
However, consequent floods and blackouts left nearly 30,000 people in evacuation shelters across southern Thailand on Saturday, as relieved tourists stranded on islands further north were spared the worst and began to plot routes home, according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
On a heartwarming note to raise our spirits, an elderly Thai man has gone viral after photos of him evacuating his Nakhon Si Thammarat home with his beloved feline was posted by Facebook user Fundee Junyatanakron on Friday.
“Thais don’t leave each other. Through the good and the bad, we go together,” Fundee captioned his post.
Contact information for information about shelters and evacuation orders:
- Phuket Area (DDPM): 076-218-444
- Koh Samui and Nearby Islands : 077-430-018 (Tourist Police); 077-420-953 or 199 (DDPM)
- Krabi and Nearby Islands (Tourist Police): 075-637-208
- Nakhon Si Thammarat (DDPM): 081-797-5499
