PEOPLE IN the South have been stocking up on food and other necessities as they prepare for heavy downpours and widespread flooding brought by Pabuk tropical storm.
The storm will hit the South Friday and Saturday, and provinces facing the highest risk are Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Phatthalung, Yala and Trang.
The shelves at the Tesco-Lotus outlet on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui were emptied by Thursday afternoon. The shelves in other supermarkets and convenience stores in the area were also emptied Thursday, as people are worried they will not be able to shop for food for several days.
In Surat Thani’s Pha-ngan district, petrol stations were forced to close as they had run dry after customers began filling their tanks on Wednesday night.
Residents prepared
Phuwanart Kaew-orn, a village head on Koh Raet of Surat Thani’s Don Sak district, said all 318 residents were now on alert.
“We are ready to evacuate if it gets riskier,” he said, adding that his island often bore the brunt of gales.
PTT has reportedly evacuated its staff from its offshore drilling platform in Songkhla province, which was hit by heavy downpours as of press time. Several evacuation centres have also been set up to shelter people affected by the storm.
The Meteorological Department said Krabi, Satun, Ranong, Phuket, Phang Nga and Chumphon will feel the influence of Pabuk, though rain in these provinces will not be too heavy.
