Flash floods reported in more Thai provinces

CHAIYAPHUM, September 14 (TNA) - Flash floods, caused by heavy downpours, have been reported in many more Thai provinces in the Thai North, Northeast and the South. In the northeastern Chaiyaphum Province, for instance, the flash floods have damaged three reservoirs in Kaset Somboon District and hit local communities and farmlands, prompting provincial officials and soldiers to have evacuated people in the affected area. The heavy downpours have also resulted in floods in many areas of Muang District, where workers are installing water pumps to drain out the floodwater. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has warned that 13 Thai provinces are now particularly at risk of floods, with possible flash floods and landslides, including Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phayao, Phrae, Nan, Ranong, Phang-nga, Krabi, Trang, Satun, Chantaburi, Trat and Uttaradit. The department urged local officials in the areas at risk to take extra precautions and to closely monitor the updated situation so that immediate actions can be taken to ensure public safety, including the evacuation of locals, if needed. According to the department, people can follow up updates and seek for assistance through the department's official hotline, 1784, around the clock. Army Chief General Prayuth Chan O-cha, on the other hand, has dispatched over 100 troops to quickly rehabilitate areas in the heart of Sukhothai Province in the Lower Thai North, where heavy inundations earlier this week have been receding to normal.(TNA)