Well some time has passed and the storms are over for the most part. Yes, a little bit of rain every now and then but nothing to worry about. In a few days or a week or so the dry season will be here and we on the island will be wishing for a bit of rain.
It was reported about two weeks ago that a storm came onto Koh Chang and we were under water, mudslides, loss of power etc… and after the initial reports not a lot has been heard since from any of the off-island media as to what is going on. It is easy to report the bad news and move on to your next disaster, but rarely does the big media companies head back and see what was done to repair.
As we said before, we live on an island that had high rainfall and we have mountains. There is not a lot that can be done to stop the slides when they do happen, we just have to cope here, repair, dig out and get on with life. That is life here.
The roads are back, the local government has stopped any truck over 3 tons from using the roads to help keep them in better shape and prevent washouts. The power company has done major repairs and the businesses that were flooded are back and in operation. Life has returned and we are getting along here.
Rock Sand Resort in north White Sands was reported to have been hit by a mudslide in some outlets but that was false and the resort is just fine. We went over and talked to one of the owners and all is well, they are in the completion of adding a few bungalows and they are fine…
15 Palms has reopened after a small closure, the roads are fine and all is well.
What has not been noted is the fast response and fast repair from the municipality and the local government. The power was back on in less than 24 hours and considering the damage; that was a very quick response. The roads are under construction and a plan is being made to try to stop this from happening again in certain areas. That plan will take time, but it is going on. The exclusion of large trucks from the road will help to keep the roads in good shape, and there are new plans in place in case this happens again. Again we really need to thank the local government, the Royal Thai Navy, the police and emergency services for their response time and the countless hours put into helping people on the island. That is one thing we have noticed here at the Koh Chang Sun. When there is something bad that happens, nobody is wailing in the street and screaming, the people just roll up their sleeves and get to work to fix the problem.
Koh Chang is fine, the storm and floods are over and life has returned. We are headed down to the beach later to get a swim in and life goes on!
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