Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Flash floods on Monday inundated several areas of the island of Phuket in Thailand , one of the country's major tourist destinations, following heavy rainfall overnight, officials said. All three districts of the southern island province, including its capital, Phuket City, were impacted by the flooding.
Water levels started to recede by late morning, but some lower-lying areas remained flooded and small vehicles were advised to avoid those areas, according to the provincial deputy governor, Romdon Hayiawae. He said some parts of the province were also hit with mudslides and officials were working to clear the debris to prevent it from falling into canals and obstructing waterways. Photos and videos shared on social media show floodwaters flowing into residential areas and filling up several roads, making them impassable.
Vehicles are seen partially buried in piles of mud and rocks left behind by the flooding. About 100 households were affected. There were no reports of casualties, Romdon said. The Thai Meteorological Department warned of heavy and continuous rain in the southern region until Wednesday, which could trigger more flash floods and landslides. Flooding has battered many parts of Thailand since mid-September and at least 83 people were reported killed as of Monday, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The Thai capital of Bangkok was inundated in late September after days of torrential rain, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing severe disruptions.
The Independent reports flash floods and mudslides on Phuket after heavy overnight rain, and a wider flood season that has killed at least 83 people in Thailand since mid-September. It never says that warming makes heavy rainfall like this more frequent and more intense. A reader comes away seeing the floods as weather alone.
Leaves out the climate link
Serious
“following heavy rainfall overnight”
Why this matters
The Independent gives "heavy rainfall overnight" as the whole cause of the Phuket floods and says nothing more about why the rain was so heavy.
The impression it gives
A reader believes the flooding came from a bout of bad weather with no wider cause.
The context
Human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall events more frequent and more severe. The article contains no word on climate change or warming anywhere.
How we know
On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “climate” and “warming”.
“Flooding has battered many parts of Thailand since mid-September and at least 83 people were reported killed as of Monday”
Why this matters
The Independent reports a deadly flood season lasting more than a month across many parts of Thailand, with at least 83 dead, and treats it as a run of separate weather events.
The impression it gives
A reader believes weeks of deadly flooding across a country is simply bad luck with the weather.
The context
Warming loads the dice for the kind of extreme rainfall that drives floods like these. The article reports the deaths and the Bangkok evacuations but never mentions that link.
How we know
On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “warming”.
Flash floods on Monday inundated several areas of Phuket following heavy rainfall overnight, officials said. Climate change is making heavy rainfall like this more frequent and more intense.