By Bloomberg – published by Yahoo!News and TV Channel 7
PRIME Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told Nong Khai residents to closely follow official advice as the Mekong river has overflowed its banks and flooded the northeastern province today (Sept. 14).
Meanwhile Typhoon Bebinca is forecast to hit the east coast of China early Monday, threatening to bring excessive rainfall that could disrupt oil refineries and LNG import terminals and paralyse transport.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is heading for Nong Khai this afternoon to survey the flooding there and assist the people with floodwaters spreading in the municipal area.
Paetongtarn said she is closely monitoring the flooding in the North and Northeast and has ordered all agencies to watch risk zones and give timely warning and assistance to the local people including setting up additional field kitchens and sending in more water production vehicles and flat-bottom boats.
The expected landfall of Bebinca in China early Monday, with the typhoon currently more than a thousand kilometres offshore, comes just after Super Typhoon Yagi claimed lives and caused extensive damage in the region, including Hainan island, northern Vietnam and Thailand. China is scheduled to start a three-day mid autumn festival holiday from Sunday, and any severe weather is likely to disrupt travel and further stifle consumption.
The projected path of Bebinca, which China refers to as Beibijia, leads to coastal areas between Zhejiang province and northern Fujian province. That means the storm is likely to cause the closure of Zhoushan port and refineries in Ningbo as it brings wind speeds of up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, according to the latest report from the National Meteorological Centre.
The system is currently forecast to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. The intensity of the storm is seen weakening rapidly after landfall, China’s weather bureau said.
CAPTIONS:
Top: An image of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra overlaid on a badly flooded area of the North. Photo: TV Channel 7
Front Page: Floodwaters gushing through Nong Khai. Photo: Thai Rath
Insert: Satellite image of Typhoon Bebinca as of Saturday, Sept. 14 at 3 p.m. China Standard Time. By The New York Times
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