Just hit by massive floods that have not completely receded, the southern provinces have been asked to take preparatory measures to cope and try to prevent further damages and casualties, as the death toll from flooding to date has reached 41.

Five of the 12 provinces are on high alert for flash floods and landslides, including high-risk areas such as Lang Suan in Chumphon province; Patoh and Lamae districts in Surat Thani province; Ta Chana, Chaiya, Ta Chang, and Kanchanadit districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat province; as well as some districts in Phatthalung and Songkhla provinces.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday held a televised event to encourage companies and individuals to donate funds to help flood victims with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha personally donating Bt100,000 and taking phone calls from donors.

Chatchai Promlert, head of the Disaster Prevention department, said a 10-point warning and action plan had been sent to all provincial officials in the affected areas as all units needed to work closely to handle the situation, especially in the aftermath of earlier floods which hit 530,000 households and affected 1.62 million people in 119 districts of the 12 provinces.

Chatchai said, massive rainfall was expected in Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakorn Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Phang Nga, Phuket, Songkhla, Krabi, Trang, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat between today and Friday. Local authorities had to be on standby to monitor the situation and provide help if needed for emergencies.

Krisada Boonraj, permanent secretary for the Interior Ministry, said the 10-point warning and action plan included the elevation of this natural disaster threat from level two to level three, the requirement that each relevant provincial governor appoint a deputy governor or provincial permanent secretary to be the chief officer in charge of flood prevention and mitigation work. At district and local levels, top officials had to be responsible for crucial work.

Areas expected to face a new round of deluge include Phunphin district in Surat Thani and Lob Talaynoi in Phatthalung, next to Songkhla Lake.

Civilian and Naval authorities have been told to be ready to use large pumps to get a huge amount of water out to sea as soon as possible.

Also, if there were widespread floods, a local command centre will coordinate with related agencies to provide first aid to affected local residents based on a code of conduct used in recent critical flood situations in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Another measure under the plan involves the government having approved an emergency budget of Bt50 million for any affected province so that officials can quickly get funds for work.

Local authorities must also prepare for the mass distribution of subsistence products to flood victims while ensuring that temporary makeshift kitchens are hygienic.

Public health authorities and related units have to prepare to tackle clean-up areas where floodwater has receded with disinfectants to prevent post-flood diseases and contamination. While local authorities were told to provide advice to residents in a bid to prevent casualties not directly caused by flooding, as the number of such casualties has recently increased.

Local authorities must also report details of any household which loses a family member to flooding in a timely manner, and the use of public money and other donations has to be transparent.

Review lessons learned

Lessons learned from previous flood mitigation efforts in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani needed to be reviewed and improved.

Meanwhile, the Navy said it would take another 10 days to restore normalcy in Songkhla if it was not hit by floods again, largely because high tides had prevented floodwaters receding quickly.

In Prachuap Khiri Khan, residents of Ban Saphan district have urged local authorities to help clean up a five-kilometre-long beachfront which is filthy due to debris from the floods.

Eaw Hongthong, 61, said, the floods had gone on for six days but there was no clean-up effort.

In Trang, floodwaters in some areas remained as high as one metre, resulting in skin diseases and other diseases among villagers, with more than 50 households in Tambon Bang Ruk of Muang district unable to return to their homes.