Southern Thailand Hit by Worst Flooding in Decades

Authorities confirm eight southern provinces—including Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Phatthalung—remain inundated. Photo: Tommy Walker

Southern Thailand saw floodwaters two to three metres high, affecting more than one million people. Hat Yai, Thailand’s fifth-largest city, was the worst hit, with roads, bridges, homes and businesses submerged.

At least 140 people have died across Songkhla province because of the floods, a number almost certain to rise. Millions more have been affected as overflowing waterways engulfed communities.

Record Rainfall and Monsoon Surge

Thailand’s south saw its single biggest day of rainfall in Hat Yai on November 21, which received 335 millimetres of rain — the heaviest single-day rainfall in 300 years, according to officials.

A mass evacuation order was put in place to try and stem the human impact a few days later as a state of emergency was declared by Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

But by this stage the floods were over two metres high, and many people were stuck in their homes waiting for the water to subside. Those with multi-storey buildings could hold out. Those with lower-level structures were not so fortunate.

The heavy gush of rainfall coupled with Southeast Asia’s annual monsoon season amplified the floods. Hat Yai is also within basin-like surroundings, with mountainous areas, meaning that too much water in quick succession can flow into the city, overflow and build up. The city’s recent urban development has also created bottlenecks which bloat water overflow, while reservoirs and canals aren’t built to handle this amount of water. Thailand isn’t new to flooding, but it’s usually ankle-deep. These floods saw citizens wade through the water from waist to chest height and higher in other areas.

The calamity impacting over 819,000 households, despite an overall trend towards normalisation and accelerated recovery efforts. Photo: Tommy Walker

Airport Chaos

It looked apocalyptic when flying in from the sunny skies of Bangkok. Suddenly the thick, grey clouds were all that could be seen outside the plane window. Then below, as we descended to the airport, the view of the brown muddy water covering trees was quickly apparent.

The captain didn’t say anything regarding the floods, but it was clear this wasn’t a usual flight. There were only 15 passengers on my flight on an Airbus A320, capable of carrying 174 passengers.

At the airport, people had already been staying there for days. Most were sleeping on cardboard on the floor, or airport massage chairs, the odd tent, or slouched against the walls — these people couldn’t go home.

The airport sits at 27 metres above the city, meaning the floods had little impact here. Internet connection, light, free food, and water. For a couple of days it was the best place to be in Hat Yai.

Michael Howells, an Australian living in Hat Yai, only arrived home this week.

He had flown in from Sydney on Tuesday, November 25, but was stuck at Hat Yai International Airport because the floods outside were so severe. Taxis were unavailable, and his wife, who was stuck in the upper floors of their house, couldn’t leave because the floods had submerged the lower part of her home.

“It’s very tiring,” Michael said on Wednesday last week. “I’m waiting to get to Khlong Hae because it’s flooded and I can’t get there.”

“Our house, when the rain started, there was no water for two days, and when the rain started all of a sudden water came gushing in. (My wife) didn’t have time to save anything downstairs like the fridges and electrical stuff, and she went upstairs. My wife took all the neighbours in and looked after them.”

Howells got in touch this week, saying how there hasn’t been any help from government agencies as of yet.

“No government officials have been anywhere near our community and the people are rightly angry. They are currently cleaning the main roads and ignoring the side streets.”

Overall situation is described as beginning to resolve, significant areas remain underwater, and relief operations are being accelerated. Photo: Tommy Walker

On the Ground

At the height of the floods, a few kilometres’ drive out of Hat Yai airport, network connection suddenly disappeared, and the floods could be seen from the distance. Highways were submerged, gas tankers were stuck, vehicles were underwater and road signs were bent. Locals at this point were using jet skis and speedboats to get around.

We trudged through Phet Kasem Road, one of Hat Yai’s economic streets. The water was waist-high, debris was floating in the water, cables were detached, motorbikes were trampled on, and lower-floor buildings had been dented or smashed. People waved at upper floors; despite the hardship and the unknown, people still smiled. It was either hope or the shock of seeing a foreigner with a camera in the midst of it all.

Hospital and Evacuation Centres

Hat Yai’s hospitals were badly damaged and without electricity. Hat Yai Hospital moved everyone to the second floor and were struggling to cope.

At the Songkhlagarind Hospital, a surge of deceased came into the hospital, waiting to be identified.

At the evacuation centres, there was plenty of food and supplies. At the Songkhla University, Thai couple Wiroj and Rasame Shotiraso sat peacefully with their two dogs.

Days earlier they had escaped their home from being totally submerged in dramatic fashion as the floods moved in.

“I took apart the roof using a hammer, then helped my wife climb onto the roof before I climbed up after her,” Wiroj said.

Like thousands of others, they are sleeping on a gymnasium floor and are unable to return home.

Over two million people still affected as water levels slowly recede in Southern Thailand. Photo: Tommy Walker

Aftermath

As the floods dried up and the weather got warmer over the weekend, the real extent of the damage unfolded.

Cars upside down, on top of another, muddy, smashed and swept away. Debris on the street, garbage on the road, road signs bent out of shape. Shop windows smashed. Convenience stores ravaged. It looked like conflict had taken place here.

One woman, who said she was 75 years old, said it was the worst flooding she’d ever experienced.

Schools, temples, football fields — no ground level was spared.

People are now returning to assess the damage for themselves and trying to salvage anything left worth keeping. Some shouted they have nowhere to sleep, others said the government isn’t helping.

Government Pledges

Thailand’s PM has pledged to restore public utilities and infrastructure, including roads, electricity, tap water and internet connections, as soon as possible. Tap water is 80% running in Hat Yai, and network connection is now stable.

Normalcy is expected within six months, while people are already returning to their homes to start the big clean-up.

The government has also pledged financial compensation for the families of the deceased. Loans for rebuilds and discounts on home appliances would be offered at steep discounts.

Food banks will be provided and makeshift evacuation centres will continue to be open for people to shelter and sleep.

Initial studies say the economic damage is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Tourism is going to be widely impacted, as Hat Yai especially is a popular place for visitors from Malaysia and the Southeast Asia region.

Photo: Tommy Walker

Concerns for the Future

But the concern for the future is that if this happens again, what will be the reaction?

There has been criticism of how the government handled the flooding crisis. Some say it was a reactionary response rather than one of being prepared. Thailand didn’t evacuate quick enough.

Associate Professor Dr Olan Thinbangtiew of Burapha University told the Thai Enquirer, an independent Thai news website, that recent floods in Hat Yai and Songkhla indicate deep-rooted structural issues in Thailand’s governance, and warned floods of this nature could occur again if change isn’t made.

Olan said that more flexibility is needed within Thailand’s government and agencies for those in the know to make quick, informed decisions instead of “top-down procedures” that “delay action and reduce coordination among agencies, limiting local efforts.”

Flooding is common in Thailand. But with the international focus on these floods and the devastating impact they’ve had, it might be time for better protocols and new measures to be implemented in the future to ensure that millions of people are not affected like this again.

-Asia Media Centre