Experts map damage in Ubon

The Engineering Institute of Thailand has sent a team of volunteers to inspect flood-damaged houses and buildings in Ubon Ratchathani province.

Led by the institute’s secretarygeneral, Thanes Veerasiri, the team will arrive in the province today on a mission to inspect structural damage to houses, temples, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure.

The trip, involving around 100 engineers, will last until Friday.

Flooding in 32 provinces has receded, said Mr Thanes, although the situation in four of the provinces — Ubon Ratchathani, Roi Et, Yasothon and Si Sa Ket — remains worrying, he added.

“Residents in Ubon Ratchathani still cannot return to their homes. We hope our expertise and help can help alleviate the situation,” he said.

The province was the hardest hit when tropical storms Podul and Kajiki battered the North last month. An estimated 400 houses were severely damaged by flooding, and 5,000 houses remain uninhabitable.

The volunteer engineers will create a digital map of the flood damaged areas that will allow engineers to run structural damage assessments.

Meanwhile, Thienchai Buddharangsri, governor of Ubon Ratchathani, yesterday ordered the flood gates at Pak Mun dam closed, indicating that floods were receding. The dam’s gates are closed to store water for the farm sector. The move came after the Mun River level dropped to 3 metres lower than its seasonal average.