Doksuri to hammer nation:

Storm targets North first, landslides feared

Authorities are rushing against time to cushion the impact of Typhoon Doksuri which has wreaked havoc in Vietnam and Laos and is heading to the Northeast.

By the time it strikes Thailand it will have weakened to a tropical storm but will still bring downpours to the North and Northeast from tomorrow to Monday as it moves past Laos to Nakhon Phanom, Bung Kan, Nong Khai and Nan, authorities said.

The centre of the typhoon was in Khammouane province in Laos yesterday, 120km from Bung Kan province, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

The storm will affect the Northeast, the lower North, the Central Plains, the East and the South, it said.

Chatchai Promlet, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said officials in 52 provinces are on high alert for heavy rain and possible flash floods and mudslides.

Mr Chatchai said flood relief shelters are being set up on high ground and necessary supplies stockpiled in case of an evacuation. He urged residents to monitor weather updates closely.

Sanchai Ketworachai, director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, said RID officials are monitoring the water levels in reservoirs across the country and will issue alerts if excessive water needs to be released.

Four major reservoirs in the central region along the Chao Phraya River are at 64% of their capacity and can receive a further 9 billion cubic metres of water, he said.

Water pumps and other heavy machinery are being deployed in flood-prone areas to divert flood water, he added.

In Khon Kaen, Ubonrat dam is prepared to discharge more water to cope with heavy rain this weekend.

The reservoir is holding 1.82 billion cu m of water, or about 75% of its storage capacity.

Following reports that Doksuri is approaching the Northeast, heavy rain is expected in the upper part of the Northeast including Loei, Nongbua Lamphu and Khon Kaen.

The dam is releasing 25 million cubic metres of water daily and seeking to increase this to 34 million in the next few days. This would help reduce flooding upstream and maintain the integrity of the dam’s structure, officials said.

Up to 1,000 million cubic metres of water is expected to flow into the reservoir during the downpours but the dam can receive only 600 million, they added.

The Meteorological Department said people in all regions should brace for heavy rain and possible flash floods.

The typhoon has reached the lower South China Sea in the area of Vinh, Vietnam and is travelling at 25km per hour. It is expected to reach the Gulf of Tonkin and weaken into a tropical depression before making landfall in Laos.

Thai people travelling to Vietnam and Laos are being urged to follow weather reports.

Doksuri swept through the Philippines on Tuesday as a less powerful tropical depression, killing at least four people and leaving at least six missing.