Flood victims in South resort to living on rafts
In the face of weeks-long flooding, many victims in Surat Thani province have chosen to live on rafts so that they can stay close to their flooded houses. Although rain stopped pouring down in the Sap Tawee area of Surat Thani’s Ban Na Doem district on January 22, floodwater was still well over one metre deep. “We can’t move back into our houses yet, but we at least can stay close by,” a local man said from a raft. Just like many other villagers, he has decided to hover around his heavily inundated home so he can watch over the property. “We are closely following news from the Meteorological Department too,” he said. The weather bureau has forecast that heavy rain will continue in many parts of the South until Wednesday. Authorities have also warned of a landslide risk.
