Fierce storms, flooding hammer areas in North
Many provinces in the North and the Northeast are suffering from the effects of thunderstorms and flash floods.
In Lampang, Ban Wang Yom Village of tambon Ban Laeng in Lampang province suffered a flash flood early yesterday morning as water, rising to a depth of one metre, flowed down from a mountain inundating over 40 houses.
Although the level receded within a few hours, the villagers suffered as their belongings were washed away while the concrete walls of a house were also destroyed by the flood.
This is the second flood to hit the village this year. In Loei, heavy rain over the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary caused flooding in Ban Na Lan Khao in tambon Pone Sung of Dan Sai district. The village school was heavily damaged by the floodwater.
Meanwhile, in Kalasin, locals in tambon Bua Ban of Yang Talat district were warned of lightning after more than 30 houses were damaged in thunderstorms.
Kalasin governor Kraisorn Kongchalat said a resident of tambon Lamphan in Muang district was killed after being struck by lightning. People in the area were subsequently advised not to loiter in open spaces during thunderstorms.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, agricultural promotion officers in Khon Buri district visited areas affected by a tropical storm this week. They found many trees, especially durian and jackfruit, had been damaged before they could bear fruit this year.
Chart Jingsuntiah, a 53-year-old farmer in Ban Nong Rang, said he used to grow only cassava before turning to fruit and vegetables on his 10 rai of land. He said he had enjoyed good crops for almost a decade; however, the majority of his trees had been uprooted by this week’s storms. He added that at least 10 others farmers in the village had suffered similar damage.
In the same province, soldiers from the 2nd Army Region and volunteers yesterday helped repair 53 houses and buildings in Kaeng Sanam Nang district damaged by the storm.
Meanwhile, in Pathum Thani, a 200-year-old pagoda at Wat Khok was damaged by lightning on Monday evening. The pagoda is considered an important heritage site in the area which is in a Mon community.