02.10.09 Man killed, floods spread in Ketsana path
Storm Ketsana continued its destructive path
across the country yesterday, killing a man in Pattani and causing
floods in many parts.
Authorities are attempting to assess the damage from Ketsana which
began as a typhoon before being downgraded to a depression on Wednesday
and a low pressure system as it moved across the country yesterday.
In Pattani, a palm tree fell on an unidentified couple riding their
motorcycle on the Kapho-Bacho Road in Kapho district. The husband was
killed and the wife seriously injured.
Ketsana also destroyed 40 houses and uprooted rubber trees in the district.
Throughout the country, damage was less than expected.
The Meteorological Department said Ketsana entered the country in
Ubon Ratchathani, bringing with it persistent downpours in the
Northeast, the East and the Central Plains including Bangkok.
The storm left many northeastern provinces flooded. Hard hit were
Muang, Prakhon Chai, Krasang, Nong Ki and Satuk districts of Buri Ram;
Muang and Khukhan districts of Si Sa Ket; and Ban Khwao and Muang of
Chaiyaphum.
Schools in downtown Chaiyaphum have been closed and will reopen on Monday.
In the North, floods submerged parts of Muang, Thoen, Wang Nua,
Muang Pan, Mae Mo and Mae Phrik districts of Lampang, and Mae Sariang
and Sop Moei districts of Mae Hong Son.
In the eastern province of Chon Buri, strong winds and high seas forced fishing boats in Si Racha district to remain at anchor.
Ferries between the district and Si Chang island, a popular tourist attraction, were suspended yesterday.
Many small fishing boats reportedly sank.
Royol Chitradon, director of the Science and Technology Ministry's
Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, warned of more wet weather ahead.
Several storms were brewing in the Pacific Ocean and could head for the
southern parts of China.
The storms may affect weather conditions over much of the country in the coming days.
To the west in Indonesia,a second quake struck Sumatra, where
authorities feared thousands had died in a major earthquake. Exhausted
rescue workers clawed through mountains of rubble with their bare hands
in a race to find survivors.
The first rescue flights laden with food, medicine and body bags
arrived in the devastated region on Sumatra island as another powerful
quake struck further south, causing more injuries and sparking panic.
Wednesday afternoon's 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and led
to fires in Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of
Sumatra, leaving the city largely without power and communications.
"The latest figures we have suggest the death toll has risen already
to 1,100," UN humanitarian chief John Holmes told a press briefing at
the United Nations.
Holmes said hundreds more were injured and the numbers of dead and
hurt were likely to rise as the full scale of the tragedy unfolds.
Many districts remain inaccessible to emergency services. Related article: Indonesian rescue efforts
"Our prediction is that thousands have died," Indonesian health ministry crisis centre head Rustam Pakaya said earlier.
Rescue teams from the Indonesian army and health ministry descended
on the city and surrounding towns to hunt for survivors in the twisted
wreckage of collapsed buildings and homes, with work expected to go on
into the night.
In pouring rain that hampered rescue work early in the day,
overwhelmed police and soldiers clawed through the tangled remains of
schools, hotels and the city's main hospital, the M. Djamil hospital.
Padang, which lies between the Indian Ocean and the Bukit Barisan
mountains, was a chaotic mass of traffic jams and rubble set against
the constant din of sirens as ambulances tried to negotiate the
gridlock. Scene: Padang residents face night in rubble
At the M. Djamil hospital, a constant stream of injured residents
were dropped off at hastily erected tents where doctors worked
frantically.
Emilzon, a medic who gave only one name, said they were treating
hundreds of people for broken bones, head injuries and trauma, mostly
sustained when the quake hit.
"We are running out of doctors and nurses because we are overwhelmed with patients," he said. Source: Bangkok Post, 02.10.09 http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/24882/man-killed-floods-spread-in-ketsana-path
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