Massive storm bringing torrential rain and waves up to 16 feet high is pounding Thailand
A tropical storm bringing torrential rain, high winds, and waves up to 16 feet high has slammed into Thailand in what could be the nation’s worst storm in more than 30 years. The national meteorological service warned of “severe conditions” still to come.
The storm made landfall over the Pak Phanang district on the country’s east coast, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. The department warned that “torrential downpours” would strike the mainland.
Forecasters expect the storm to slow as it moves over land, at which point it would be classified as a depression rather than a tropical storm. It could still cause significant damage in this weakened state.
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said thousands of residents in coastal areas had been evacuated.
Thousands of tourists are trapped on some of the country’s most popular islands, including Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao, CNN reported.
This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, Uncategorized by Grant Montgomery.
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Pabuk made landfall Friday with maximum sustained wind speeds of 95 kilometers per hour (59 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Tropical Storm Pabuk was then downgraded to a depression and is moving into the Andaman Sea after claiming three lives as it swept across Thailand, Thai authorities said Saturday. The storm, which blew through outlying islands off Thailand’s eastern coast Friday before crossing mainland provinces, has now reached the Andaman Sea on the western side of the country.
The storm uprooted trees, brought down power lines, flooded streets and tore the roofs off some properties but thankfully did not appear to have caused wide destruction.
Some of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, including Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao islands, along with islands in the Andaman Sea such as Phuket and Koh Phi Phi — made famous by the movie “The Beach” — were also affected by Pabuk during what is peak holiday season, and some vacationers were temporarily stranded.