Although the water flooding the border of Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province has begun to recede somewhat, there is still heavy rain on both the Thai and Myanmar sides, causing the water in many communities to remain high and flowing swiftly. Officials have had to mobilize forces both on land and in the air to help villagers who are still suffering greatly. Some houses where the water has receded are in a state of mud, suffering just as much.
Water from the rivers that separate the Thai-Myanmar border is still overflowing into many communities in Mae Sai district, but the intensity has decreased, causing officials to warn villagers to monitor water levels after heavy rains continued to fall both in the area and upstream on the Myanmar side, causing the water to continue to flow in without stopping.
Soldiers rappelled from the Air Force’s EC 725 helicopter to deliver food and water to help villagers still trapped in flooded buildings in the Koh Sai, Mai Lung Khan, and Koh Sawan communities, and carried o
ut an aerial mission to help 4 more people trapped in flooded areas.
While the military force continued to walk through the water to help move villagers out of the area, the rescue team walked to distribute food and drinking water, including the staff of the Friends in Need (Por Ror.) Foundation who helped the elderly out of their homes by using a stretcher to pull them out of the mud. The grandmother who was able to get out burst into tears.
They also used a backhoe to block the raging water and used a scoop as a bridge to help people out. They also climbed onto the roof of the backhoe to bring food and drinking water to distribute to the victims living in tall buildings. Many of them had been trapped in the flood for 5 days, but fortunately the water level had receded somewhat, allowing officers to reach more areas.
In areas where the water has receded, the condition is no different from a sea of ??mud, such as Wat Koh Sai Kham in Mae Sai sub-district, which is full of mud surrounding dozens of cars. Man
y houses, cars, and motorcycles are submerged in the mud. Some houses have piles of mud blocking the front of their houses, making it impossible to get in or out. This house was covered in mud up to its chest. The 60-year-old owner had to live with neighbors and still doesn’t know what to do with the enormous amount of mud. Or, like the clothing store in the Koh Sai community, the mud was up to its waist, and all the clothes were flooded. He was almost completely bankrupt.
Similarly, in Tachileik Province, Myanmar, which has been flooded for several days, the water has started to recede, but shops and buildings in the Tha Lo Market are still flooded and submerged in mud. Many Myanmar people have flocked to the Thai side, some to stay with relatives after being flooded for several days, with no electricity, no water, and food shortages.
While most Myanmar people cross the border to buy drinking water and food, rice, pork, duck, chicken, household goods, water pumps and generators to carry across the border t
o survive after the floods.
Officials are rushing to scoop out debris and mud from the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, including the road in front of the border checkpoint that has been submerged in mud for several days, in order to gradually restore the area after the worst flooding in a century, which has caused damage and trade opportunities that could exceed a billion baht.
Source: Thai News Agency