Nine provinces in Thailand experience flooding and heavy rainfall

© The Nation Thailand

The northeast monsoon has left at least 9 provinces in southern Thailand battling heavy rain and floods, as the country's Interior Minister warns there could be more to come.

Trang Province

Trang province in southern Thailand has been one of the worst affected areas after persistent heavy rain over the last 4 days caused flash floods across several southern provinces.

Around 1,000 villagers in Trang have been evacuated since the flooding began. Houses and farmland have been damaged. The flood water level was almost two meters high, according to NNT.

Homes flooded in Trang; troops help the trapped http://t.co/GTT2Iw9Glf #TheNation http://ift.tt/1pZ5eMM

- The Nation Thailand (@nationnews) November 11, 2014

Nakhon Si Thammarat

At least 5 districts - Chawang, Chang Klang, Pipoon, Lan Ska, and Phra Phrom in Nakhon Si Thammarat also experienced severe floods that first began around 07 November 2014. More than 4,400 households and 12,000 people have been affected in the province.

Nine Provinces Affected

Besdies trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat, the provinces of Patthalung, Songkhla, Krabi, Satun, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have also been affected. Some reports claim that flood waters have started to recede in Patthalung and Trang. However the heavy rain continues. Narathiwat saw 74 mm of rain fall in the last 24 hours.

More Rain to Come

On 12 November, Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paochinda alerted the governors southern provinces to another wave of heavy rains between November 13-16 and instructed them to be prepared for possible disasters.

The provinces most likely affected are Krabi, Trang, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun.

According to Gen Anupong, it is forecast that the northeast monsoon will pick up strength from tomorrow until November 16 and will, in turn, bring torrential rains to many areas of the lower southern region of Thailand. Surat Thani province is also likely to experience strong winds.

DDPM Director-General Chatchai Promlert has advised locals, whose homes are situated near waterways, on hill slopes or in lowlands, to closely follow weather forecasts and disaster warnings.

© Magalie L’Abbé

File photo: Flooding in Trang, Thailand.