Patong had a rough night — the hills behind town did what they do when the ground is saturated at the end of monsoon. Nobody was hurt, which is the headline that matters; the clean-up, and two more days of forecast rain, are the rest of the story.
The worst of it arrived at about 3:05 AM on Monday, October 26, after a burst of very heavy rain between roughly 2 and 4 AM. Water, mud, stones and large rocks washed off Khao 50 Pi and into Nanai, with the heaviest damage around Soi Nanai 8 and Soi Nanai 5, near Makro Nanai and along Phang Muang Sai Kor Road. In the 24 hours before that, as much as 142.8 mm of rain had fallen onto ground that was already soaked through.
Homes, a hotel and shops took damage, storefront glass was smashed, and cars and motorbikes were left under water or carried along by the flow. Officials said more than 100 households were affected, and — thankfully — reported no casualties. Other parts of Phuket were hit too, including Thalang, Mueang and Kathu districts, Thepkrasattri Road, Rawai and Chalong.
Disaster teams sent phone alerts three times during the night, and shelters were opened at the Patong Municipal Office, Wat Suwankeereewong School and Patong Bay Hill Hotel. By late morning most of the water had drained away, leaving thick mud behind and clean-up crews, including bulldozers, at work in the streets.
Why it keeps happening here
Patong is shaped like a bowl, with the beach on one side and steep hills on almost every other side. By late monsoon those slopes are fully saturated, so a hard downpour can send water and debris downhill very quickly. This was also the second flood and landslide episode in Patong this month, following one on October 6.
More rain through Wednesday
The Thai Meteorological Department warns that heavy to very heavy rain is expected to continue through Wednesday, October 28, bringing a continuing risk of flash flooding and landslides, especially close to the foothills.
- Avoid roads at the foot of the hills during heavy rain.
- Never try to cross fast-moving floodwater, on foot or in a vehicle.
- Move vehicles to higher ground overnight when heavy rain is forecast.
For help, the Patong Municipality disaster line is 076-342600, available 24 hours, and the national hotline is 1784.
Down at the quiet south end of Patong, Patong Harbor View — the condos, guests and team — are all fine.
Full story: Patong-Thailand — https://www.patong-thailand.com/2026/10/patong-flash-flood-and-hillside.html
Comments
Post a Comment