While some areas remain unaffected by strong winds and heavy rain as forecast from September 13-15, there has been significant rainfall in other parts of the south, according to the Meteorology and Hydrology Department.
Officials in at-risk areas are monitoring river levels in Khammuan, Savannakhet, Champassak, Saravan, Xekong and Attapeu provinces and are ready to respond to flash flooding if the rainfall increases.
An official from the meteorology and hydrology office in Xekong province told Vientiane Times yesterday that Xekong is one of the areas in the path of a storm blowing in from the east, after weather forecasters warned of strong winds and heavy rain.
After hours of heavy rain that began on the evening of September 12 and continued into the morning of September 13, some communities on low-lying ground in Lamam district were under water yesterday. But the floodwater receded after the rain abated, an official said.
The provincial meteorology and hydrology office said officials were monitoring the level of the Xekong River which was now at 11 metres. If it rises above 15 metres, there is a risk of flooding which would seriously impact riverside communities and farmland.
In Champassak province, media personnel reported that there had been light rain on September 12 becoming heavier yesterday morning in Pakxe district.
Some roads in the town centre were flooded, but the water had not caused any damage.
The water in the province’s main rivers has now reached a height of almost 9 metres, which is still well short of the 11-metre danger level.
Parts of Khammuan and Savannakhet provinces also experienced heavy downpours yesterday.
The Weather Forecasting and Aeronautical Meteorology Division of the Meteorology and Hydrology Department yesterday warned that strong wind gusts and heavy rain would likely affect parts of Laos from September 13-15.
Squalls could affect the provinces of Khammuan, Savannakhet, Champassak, Saravan, Xekong and Attapeu, and also Vientiane, but are unlikely to be severe.
The public is urged to take care and be alert to the possibility of falling trees and damage to houses and other buildings. Landslides may also occur, along with flash flooding caused by heavy rain, and everyone is advised to listen to weather forecasts issued by the Meteorology and Hydrology Department.
T he warning came after high winds were detected over the South China Sea on September 12. The storm was predicted to reach Danang on the Vietnamese coast yesterday morning and to move across Laos in the afternoon, with most of the effects felt in Xekong and Saravan provinces.
Source: Vientiane Times
