Record rainfall kills dozens, evacuates thousands

Parts of Thailand are battling record flooding that has killed at least 18 people, prompting authorities to deploy warships and helicopters to support relief efforts.

Floods have hit ten provinces in the country’s south over the past week, with Hat Yai, a commercial center on the border with Malaysia, recording its heaviest rainfall in 300 years – 335 millimeters of rain in a single day.

Photos showed vehicles and homes submerged in the city, with desperate residents waiting on rooftops for rescue.

Incessant rains have also brought disaster to neighboring countries. In Vietnam, The death toll has risen to 91 In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people were forced from their homes in one week.

More than 2 million people in Thailand have been affected by flooding, but only 13,000 people have been moved to shelters.

According to Reuters, the vast majority of people have been cut off and unable to get help.

The Thai military, which is responsible for responding to the crisis, said it was preparing to send an aircraft carrier and a fleet of 14 ships to load relief supplies, as well as a field kitchen said to be able to provide 3,000 meals a day.

The Navy said that if necessary, the medical team on the aircraft carrier will transform it into a “floating hospital.”

The governor of Songkhla province, where Hat Yai is located, said boats, high-clearance trucks and motorboats were also deployed to evacuate residents.

The cabinet declared Songkhla a disaster area on Tuesday, releasing funds for disaster relief.

However, many people remain trapped in the rising waters.

Matchima Rescue Center, a volunteer rescue group, told Reuters it had received thousands of calls to evacuate over the past three days.

People also posted emergency calls on Matchima’s Facebook page. “Many people are trapped…please help,” one user wrote. “It’s very difficult now, the water has reached the second floor, there are children, the elderly, the sick, the disabled!!!”

Another wrote that his family had been waiting for help for three days: “Every second counts now…please help share. My (phone) battery is only 40%. Thank you everyone.”

Some also wrote of going days without food or water.

A video that went viral on social media showed three young boys hanging from power lines, trying to slowly crawl to safety as the murky brown water below continued to rise.

In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and 126 evacuation centers have been set up along the northern border.

In the states of Kelantan and Perlis, rescue teams waded through knee-deep floods to evacuate residents in areas where rising water levels disrupted road traffic.