Resorts avoid storm’s full impact
Rain, wind and surging seawater from a tropical storm have buffeted coastal villages and world-famous tourist resorts on southern Thailand’s east coast, knocking down trees and utility poles and flooding roads.
One person was reported dead and another missing after a fishing boat with a crew of six capsized in high waves, but there were no reports of major damage. It appeared that Tropical Storm Pabuk caused aggravation during the country’s high tourist season but less damage than had been feared.
Airlines and boat operators suspended operations for safety reasons, and tourists were forced to change their travel plans.
Beaches were closed, but even with the bad weather approaching, tourists on the popular island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand continued to patronise bars and restaurants. That was good fortune for the tourism industry, whose safety problems were highlighted last July when 47 Chinese tourists drowned after their boat sank in rough seas near the popular resort of Phuket.
Ahead of this week’s storm, more than 6100 people in four provinces were evacuated, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The Meteorological Department said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 65kmh. It continued to warn of strong winds and waves 3m to 5m high in the Gulf of Thailand and 2m to 3m in the Andaman Sea. It advised all ships to stay ashore and warned of possible storm surges on the gulf coast.
‘‘We can expect heavy rain and downpours, flooding and flash floods in the area throughout the night,’’ department directorgeneral Phuwieng Prakhammintara said.
Evacuation efforts were especially intense in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, about 800km south of Bangkok, where authorities sent trucks through flooded streets, urging people in danger zones to leave.
Koh Samui appeared to have been spared much of the brunt of the storm. Popular resort destinations on Thailand’s west coast on the Andaman Sea were awaiting Pabuk’s arrival.
The navy said Thailand’s sole aircraft carrier, the HTMS Chakri Naruebet, was on standby at its base east of Bangkok, prepared to sail to help with relief efforts at a moment’s notice.
There had been fears that the storm would be the worst to hit Thailand since 1989, when Typhoon Gay left more than 400 people dead. A tropical storm in 1962 killed more than 900 people in the south.