Tropical storm Pabuk causes floods, blackouts in southern Thailand but tourist islands spared

Nakhon Si Thammarat: Floods and blackouts caused by the tropical storm Pabuk drove nearly 30,000 people into evacuation shelters across southern Thailand on Saturday, as relieved tourists stranded on islands further north were spared the worst. Many of the tourists who had been stranded earlier have begun to make their way home. Pabuk, a once-in-three-decades weather system, packed winds of up to 75 kilometres an hour and brought heavy rains and storm surges as it lashed the entire south of the kingdom on Friday, downing power cables and causing widespread flooding. [caption id=“attachment_5840261” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A man pushes a motorcycle through floodwaters in Thailand’s Pak Phanang, in the aftermath of tropical storm Pabuk on Friday. AP[/caption] A fisherman died in the southern Pattani province early on Friday as high waves smashed into his boat. Another crew member of the same boat was reported missing. The storm tacked away from the key tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao where large numbers of tourists hunkered down for 24 hours in heavy rains, unable to leave as airports had closed and ferry services were cancelled. “There were no casualties, there is some sunshine on Saturday and I’m confident some tourists will be able to leave today as ferries and flights resume,” Kittipop Roddon, Koh Samui district chief said. But “red flag” warnings banning swimming off what are normally sun-baked paradise beaches at this time of year were still in place. “It’s all over. All 10,000 tourists are safe… I am relieved,” Krikkrai Songthanee, district chief of neighbouring Koh Phangan, an island famed for its full-moon parties, told AFP, adding only minor damage had been caused by high winds. Holidaymakers keen to leave the islands now face long delays as they make their way home with transport links slowly reopening on Saturday. The storm was downgraded early on Saturday to a depression, with wind speeds slackening as it moved into the Andaman Sea, the Meteorological Department said. Pabuk made landfall on Friday afternoon in the Nakhon Si Thammarat province, south of the tourist hubs on the Gulf of Thailand, hammering the coastal province with rain. Authorities warned of flash floods as some parts remained inundated by a combination of rainfall and storm surges. Around 200,000 people were left without power as dozens of electricity poles were toppled by high winds or falling trees. Of them, around 30,000 customers remained without power early on Saturday, according to an update by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. A similar number of people remained in evacuation shelters, waiting for floods to recede and power to be restored, it added. Pabuk struck in peak tourist season and has dealt a blow to the sector that is integral to Thailand’s economy. The kingdom is expected to welcome a record 40 million visitors this year.