Thailand eyes drones to boost flood relief efforts; deaths climb in Indonesia

By Cong Sun and Huey Mun Leong

HAY YAI, Thailand/KUALA PERLIS, Malaysia, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Rescuers in Thailand readied drones on Thursday to airdrop food parcels, as receding floodwaters in the south and neighbouring Malaysia brightened hopes for the evacuation of those stranded for days, while cyclone havoc in Indonesia killed 28.

Severe floods after a week of heavy rain have killed at least 33 in Thailand and two in neighbouring Malaysia, with tens of thousands huddling in evacuation centres, some after being cut off for days by waters as much as 2 m (7 ft) high.

"It's a race against time," Thai government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat told Nation TV, adding that rescue teams were preparing to use drones to deliver food parcels, relying on satellite internet in the face of telecoms outages.

"We have to help them out," he added, saying authorities expected to rescue even more people on Thursday.

The receding floodwaters are allowing disaster teams in Thailand and Malaysia to boost aid deliveries and efforts to move people out of waterlogged homes.

The floods affected nearly 3 million in nine southern Thai provinces, authorities said, with 3,000 moved to safety from the worst-hit city of Hat Yai, including some critically ill airlifted on Wednesday from a partially swamped hospital.

Thousands have been marooned on rooftops in the commercial hub by record rainfall, which stood at 335 mm (13 inches) on Friday, its highest in a single day for 300 years.

Thailand pushed relief efforts into higher gear when the military drafted in at least 20 helicopters, planes and convoys of trucks to deliver food, medicine and small boats on Wednesday, and made a public appeal for boats and jet skis.

The country's only aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet, is also providing air support, food and medicines.

TROPICAL CYCLONE DEVASTATES INDONESIAN PROVINCE

In Indonesia's province of North Sumatra, a tropical cyclone unleashed floods and landslides to kill at least 28, with 10 missing. Power outages and damaged bridges and homes hampered rescue efforts, the disaster agency said.

Kompas TV showed images of earth sliding down a hillside to pile up in front of homes, while gushing waters higher than 1 m (3.5 ft) high swept along debris and the branches of trees.

Meteorologists say current extremes of weather in Southeast Asia could stem from the interaction of two active systems, Typhoon Koto in the Philippines and the unusual formation of Cyclone Senyar in the Malacca Strait.

Global warming can bring more frequent extreme events as higher sea surface temperatures supercharge tropical storms.

The most recent floods follow a series of deadly typhoons and heavy monsoon rains that have lashed the Philippines and Vietnam and swelled floods elsewhere.

'THE WATER WAS LIKE THE OCEAN'

In Malaysia, with floods in seven states, authorities said more than 34,000 people were evacuated, and about 500 nationals were still stranded in the Thai tourist destination of Hat Yai.

Container lorries were used to bring home some Malaysians, the foreign minister told parliament on Thursday, as smaller vehicles were unable to traverse the floodwaters.

In the smallest state of Perlis, Gon Qasim said rising waters trapped her in her home in the middle of a paddy field.

"The water was like the ocean," the 73-year-old evacuee said.

Teams in Hat Yai worked into the dark on Wednesday, racing to reach the stranded after more boats arrived for the rescue effort, navigating the challenges of both strong currents and shallows.

A tearful Kritchawat Sothiananthakul described the inexorable rise of waters in his home, as he waited with his dog to be rescued.

"We had to climb down from the roof, get into the boat," said the 70-year-old, stroking the animal while sitting on a mat in a makeshift evacuation centre in a sports hall.

"I needed to carry it and then get onto a truck."