Army well-prepared for storm mitigation in Thai South

BANGKOK, January 2 (TNA) - The Royal Thai Army is now prepared for its public relief and mitigation mission in the Thai South in response to a latest warning of the Meteorological Department on the approaching tropical storm Pabuk towards the southern region. Royal Thai Army Spokeswoman Colonel Sirichan Nga-thong told journalists on Wednesday that Army Commander-in-Chief General Apirat Kongsompong has ordered the Royal Thai Army's relief and mitigation units, especially those in the Thai South, to work together in an integrated manner with all other relevant parties to be on high alert to prevent and protect local people from being affected the least by the approaching storm. The spokeswoman stated that the Royal Thai Army's relief and mitigation units have, thus, prepared personnel, tools and measures to timely deal with the situation, as instructed by the army chief, covering their speeding up releasing water from areas at risk and issuing updated information to the public. Besides, the Royal Thai Army's central military units in Bangkok have been instructed to be well-prepared to send additional assistance to people in affected areas in the Thai South, including mobile military medical teams, medicines and other pharmaceutical products, as well as tools, vehicles and aircraft in order to quickly ease the plight of affected people. According to the spokeswoman, the army chief's order was in response to the weather bureau's recent warning that the tropical storm Pabuk would hit the Thai South during January 3-5 and people in such affected provinces as Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phattalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Satun, Chumphon and Prachuap Khiri Khan could possibly face heavy downpours, flash floods, landslides and high waves offshores. The spokeswoman said the army chief also suggested that people in the Thai South closely follow up the updated situation and follow the advice of concerned authorities for their own safety, namely urgent evacuations to safe places and thorough checks of their houses or buildings to ensure their safe structures. (TNA)