With the weatherman yesterday warning of more pounding downpours and roiling seas, the island resort of Phuket has been lashed by unusually high tides that prompted authorities to close the beaches to visitors.
The Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand had caused widespread showers over the country and heavy rain especially in the upper North's Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Nan, Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Tak provinces.
Gale winds and large swells remain in the Andaman Sea, the department said. All vessels in the area should proceed with caution.
Arun Kerdsom, the provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation chief, said on Thursday that the tides had peaked at three to four metres at all beaches, ruining beachside shops and residences.
Officials were sent to help people move to higher ground and to warn tourists at attractions not to swim or play in the ocean. As for the wave-damaged seaside restaurants in Thalang district that remained closed, local authorities will assess the losses to pay compensation, he said.
The waves smashed into nine restaurants along Hat Saikaew in Chat Chai Pier on Friday morning, overturning tables and chairs and washing away the concrete foundations. No injuries were reported from the restaurants, which are constructed of bamboo and corrugated zinc.
While authorities said the waves were unrelated to recent seismic activity and were just the result of normal tidal conditions and strong monsoon winds, the tidal waves created fear of another tsunami among some residents of West Coast beaches.
Chanthira Kalmachshima, owner of Andaman Seafood and with estimated damage of Bt10,000, said on Friday afternoon that for about two hours that morning the waves had come up very high, almost reaching the main road.
"It wasn't like a tsunami because the sea didn't recede first. They just came up like regular waves, but much larger than normal. About nine restaurants were open at the time and all were badly damaged," she said.
A large sea turtle had washed up on the beach and died a few days before. "We felt this was a sign that there was something wrong with nature. Then today these huge waves came, the biggest we have seen since the tsunami," she said.
In neighbouring Phang Nga, Chittiporn Suthipibul, president of the province's tourism association, said on Thursday that seawater was flooding the ground floor of her hotel and several other resorts in the area. Similar flooding occurred at about 9am on Wednesday.
The high tides also prompted villagers in the Ban Namkem area of Khao Lak - which was devastated in the 2004 tsunami disaster - to evacuate their homes for safer ground in fear of tidal waves.
In Bangkok, residents along the Chao Phya River, Bangkok Noi Canal and Mahasawat Canal outside the sandbag barriers were urged to beware of flooding, as the water level would hit 1.95 metres above mean sea level at 9.15pm. The river had reached 1.97m on Friday night.
Samart Chokkanapitak, director-general of the Irrigation Department, said the Chao Phya in Bangkok and nearby provinces would be higher than normal for two to three days due to the seasonal influx of seawater.
He said he had become interested in building a levee along the Chao Phya and Tha Chin rivers when he visited the Netherlands last week. Dutch engineers will arrive this week to give advice about the plan, he added.
The Nation
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