Four days after Monday's flash floods and mudslides tore through parts of the island, the scale of the damage is finally getting numbers attached to it — and there is practical help on the table for affected households, if they can get the paperwork right. If you live in Patong, Kamala, Karon or Chalong, this is the update that tells you who has been counted, what has been damaged, and how claims are being registered.
Provincial officials say more than 400 households across Phuket have been affected by the flooding and mudslides, with preliminary damage in Patong alone put at more than 10 million baht. As of October 29, a total of 181 residents had registered claims under the government's National Catastrophe Insurance scheme — 130 of them in Kathu District, 44 in Mueang Phuket District and seven in Thalang — and about 60 households in Patong and Kamala have registered for initial assistance.
The human detail sits behind those totals. Officials touring Patong with insurance representatives heard from businesses such as a tattoo parlour that lost more than 100,000 baht worth of equipment, glass fixtures and tools, and from homeowners dealing with wrecked perimeter walls and ruined furniture. The disaster prevention department, the insurance regulator and the Thai General Insurance Association are all involved in the initial damage assessments.
One concern raised at the top level is that some residents could miss out on help simply because they do not understand the eligibility rules or the documents needed. To claim, applicants are asked for between one and three photographs that clearly show the flooding and the damage — ideally showing the house and its house number, water around or inside the property, and the actual damage from a flash flood. Officials also clarified that the scheme is for Thai nationals, and that claims are assessed differently depending on whether water entered the home or only surrounded it. Claims can be registered through the National Catastrophe Insurance website, its LINE account, its customer service centre, or at local registration points in the affected areas.
Meanwhile the ground work continues. On a tour of flood-prone areas, provincial officials inspected drainage and preparations in Chalong, Karon and Rawai. In Chalong's low-lying Baan Khok Tanode community, two large pumps — each able to discharge 31,500 litres a minute — have been installed at a sluice gate to speed drainage. In Karon, where a high-level cell-broadcast warning urged people in risky spots to evacuate, two temporary evacuation centres have been set up at a school and a temple, and residents of three sois near the hillside were specifically told to move to safety. In Rawai, officials found drainage pipes too narrow for heavy rain in one neighbourhood and a canal-side soi where residents report waist-high water in downpours — both now on the list for improvement work.
The takeaway for residents: if your home or business was hit, photograph everything before you clean it up, and register early — the help exists, but it runs on documentation.
Full story: The Phuket News — 400 households affected by Phuket flood damage
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