High winds and heavy rains slammed into Pattaya Saturday night, Oct. 11, knocking down trees and power lines, flooding a large part of the city, and leaving a tangled mess in its wake. The storm hit the heaviest during “prime time” when weekend traffic was already at its worst. Shown here, Beach Road Pattaya was nearly at a standstill as floodwaters ripped across the road towards the sea.
Violent storm fells trees, power poles in Pattaya
A brief but violent storm knocked out power and soaked tourists headed out for the evening.
Blown in from Pattaya Bay on a huge gust of cold air, the Oct. 13 downpour felled two 20-year-old trees and wrecked 50 stalls at the Thepprasit Keha Market where more than 1,000 shoppers were out when the storm hit around 8:30 p.m.
Falling trees took out seven power poles on Soi Yensabai, blacking out the entire street for hours. Neighbors reported damage to cars, motorbikes and other property.
High winds and heavy rains slammed into Pattaya Saturday night, Oct. 11, knocking down trees and power lines, flooding a large part of the city, and leaving a tangled mess in its wake. The storm hit the heaviest during “prime time” when weekend traffic was already at its worst. Shown here, Beach Road Pattaya was nearly at a standstill as floodwaters ripped across the road towards the sea.
The soi had to be blocked off because some of the electric transformers exploded and Provincial Electric Authority officials had to wait for the rain to stop in order to fix the problem.
Residents near Bali Hai Pier reported that four squid fishermen were hit by the storm as well. The strong winds caused the boat to sink and the four had to swim their way back. Anuwat Panla-ong, 33, was able to help the first two victims to shore and they said that two more missing.
The storm tore down electric posts in Soi Yensabai, knocking out power for hours.
Chart Ketmanee, 48, and his 20-year-old nephew were later found by sea rescue teams.
Beach Road was heavily flooded because drainage pipes couldn’t keep up with the deluge, causing major disasters for people in the area as well.
The rain poured down for over an hour, filling the road with 20-30 cm. of water and causing the traffic gridlock amid heavy Saturday night traffic.
At the intersection of South and Second roads, power poles fell and damaged cars. Several vehicles also were damaged on Soi Khopai.
City maintenance crews work to clear the debris.
