Several areas were paralysed by floodwaters, especially Thepkrasattri Rd near the Thai Wassadu store in Thalang and on Chao Fa West Rd in front of Wichitsongkram School in Wichit.
Sirisak Sakulsorajja, chief of the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said, “It has been raining all day across the island and we are on 24-hour watch for flash floods and landslides.
“So far, we have received no reports of landslides, but many areas were flooded and we have officers there to assist residents and motorists,” he said.
Thepkrasattri subdistrict in Thalang was hit the hardest, he added. “We received reports of seven homes damaged by the wind, local municipality officials are investigating the affected area and providing assistance to residents,” Mr Sirisak said.
Residents of nearby Moo Baan Usookjareon in Thalang reported floodwaters of up to 50 centimetres deep near the Thai Wassadu store, slowing traffic to a crawl. Thalang Traffic Police were dispatched to help direct traffic.
The same area was hit with a flash flood on May 14, which caused traffic to back up for hours. (See story here.)
Some motorists abandoned their motorbikes on the road after their engines failed and waited for help on the main road’s central reservation. The floodwaters slowly dissipated into the drains and at last report traffic was moving through the area again.
Many areas across the island suffered power outages due to trees brought down on power lines and pylons.
Worst hit was Patong, where three pylons were brought down, causing blackouts to many households and businesses. Workers from the Patong electrical authority are working on removing the felled pylons so they can be replaced, The Phuket News was told.
“We dispatched eight teams to check all areas affected by floods and power outages. So if help arrives late in your area, please understand that we are doing our best,” said Phuket DDPM Chief Mr Sirisak.
Lifeguards have posted red flags at all Phuket beaches to warn swimmers of dangerous surf.
Some beach guards reported problems with tourists who refused to observe the warning flags and attempted to enter the surf. “But we are monitoring these areas closely,” one beach guard said.
According to weekly weather forecast from Thai Meteorological Department, more rain is expected to come with fairly widespread thundershowers throughout the rest of the week and isolated heavy to very heavy rain forecast to continue tomorrow.
Southwesterly winds of 20-40kmh and wave heights of up to three meters are forecast to continue along the Andaman coast. Small boats are advised to stay ashore while big vessels can proceed with caution, said the weather advisory.