Several provinces in southern Thailand were hit by severe flooding on Monday following days of heavy rainfall, as reported by local Thai media.
In Narathiwat province, streams swelled and overflowed onto roads, severing access to some areas, as reported by Thai PBS. The extensive flooding disrupted thousands of households, prompting residents to relocate their possessions to higher ground, according to local media sources.
While the floods impacted emergency services at three medical centers in Narathiwat, they managed to remain operational as of Monday. Responding to the crisis, the Thai government mobilized the army and health ministry to provide assistance, and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation collaborated with local authorities to expedite drainage efforts in the inundated areas.
The calamity extended beyond Thailand’s borders as Kallmuenz, a Bavarian town in Germany, found itself submerged on Christmas Day due to heavy rainfall causing the nearby river Naab to breach its banks.
By midday on Christmas, numerous streets near the river were submerged, and gardens along with cellars were inundated. Emergency services were actively securing boats, movable property, and pumping water out of cellars, preparing for the cleanup once the floodwaters peaked.
The river in the Upper Palatinate, which typically maintains a level of around one and a half meters, surged above the three-meter mark on Christmas Day. Predictions from the flood information service indicated an expected rise beyond the four-meter mark in the evening, anticipating a subsequent recession of floodwaters.
Beyond Europe and Asia, even the United States faced a flooding challenge as a Pacific storm unleashed heavy rain upon Southern California on Thursday, triggering flash flooding in the coastal city of Santa Barbara.
(Reuters)
