Really? Disaster Zone?

Bangkok Post

Eight villages in Hua Hin have been declared a disaster zone after temperatures hit 10C, chilling residents who live without electricity.

Hua Hin district chief Prasit Bunlikit made the declaration as more than 200 families in the villages grappled with the cold.

The villages are in tambon Bueng Nakhon, located deep in a mountain, about 70 kilometres from downtown Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Temperatures as low as 13 and 14 degrees are normal, but this year the mercury has dropped further to 10 degrees, especially at night, according to Mr Prasit.

Residents want electricity to keep themselves warm in the cold season, but the area has been without supply since the government of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat more than 40 years ago. The area is regarded as a "military safety area," so electricity is not allowed, said Mr Prasit.

District staff and a charity group are distributing coats, blankets, and relief supplies to needy people. They have been hampered by poor transport links to the area. Immediate help was needed for villagers, especially elderly and children who had come down with breathing problems, he said.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry has launched a campaign against diarrhoea which has claimed the lives of 42 people, most of them aged under five since early this year, and continues to threaten people in the cold season. The campaign, which will run until summer next year, tells people to keep away from food that is not properly cooked, a main cause of the illness.

In Loei, the Ratchaprachanukroh Foundation under His Majesty the King gave blankets to poor people in Tha Li and Chiang Khan, which are among 14 districts already declared disaster zones due to the cold. In Phichit, officials gave blankets and medicine to residents from 19 villages of Sam Ngam district.

The Meteorology Department expects temperatures will drop by another 2-4 degrees as a new high pressure zone arrives from China.