Storms destroy more than 30 houses

Sunday, 20 February 2011
Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

More than 30 houses spanning two provinces in northwestern Cambodia were destroyed by storms on Friday.

In Oddar Meanchey, 29 houses were destroyed by a storm on Friday in Banteay Ampil, Anlong Veng and Samrong districts, Pich Sokhin, deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, said today.

“Twenty-nine houses were destroyed by the storm but no people were injured,” he said, adding that initially the storm did not appear to be serious.

“I have not yet received a report on other casualties from the storm. I am asking my officials to check,” he said.

Storm destroyed more than 100 houses in Battambang province

17 May 2010
By Suon Sophalmony
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

A storm knocked down and destroyed more than 100 homes and caused 3 injuries in the evening of Saturday 15 May 2010 in Santepheap and Ta Sda communes, Sampov Loon district, Battambang province.

Chum Seub, the Sampov Loon district governor, said on Sunday 16 May that the disaster caused by the storm started on Saturday at 5:20PM.

Chum Seub said: “Now, we see that the damage affects 103 houses in Santepheap and Ta Sda commune. Three houses completely collapsed, 25 houses lost their roof completely, and 75 other are only affected: some lost 20-30 sheets of the tin roof. Three people were injured, but a man was seriously injured, he was cut by the flying wood and tin roof, the two others were slightly hit only!”

Chum Seub indicated that this is a preliminary number of houses damaged obtained by the authority following the damage. The authority is currently accounting for the number of families and the additional number houses that are affected and reported them to the Battambang Red Cross office to obtain help.

On 23 April 2010, a similar storm destroyed 105 houses by knocking them down to the ground in Samlot and Ratanak Mondul districts, Battambang province. The incident left several families without shelter.

The provincial authority indicated that, starting from 01 April to 23 April 2010, storms destroyed 197 homes in Battambang province. 188 families lost their shelters. The storm also damaged the roof of 3 schools and two monk housings. This number does not even take into account the recent damage.

Wrath of nature against the obscene display of opulence?

Guests are seen panicking during the storm, most of them fled the party scene (Photo: Thmor Keo, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Several hundreds of guests at a housewarming party ran away after storm blew off the roof of the party booth

Monday, July 02, 2007
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Pursat Province: About 500 guests, including elderly men and women, young men and young women, ran for their life after a storm blew off the roof of the party booth which later fell on the guests. The incident took place at around 11:40 AM on 30 June 2007, during the new housewarming party organized by a government official located in Moan Cher village, Prey Nhi commune, Sampov Meas district, Pursat province, north of National Road No. 5, and next to the “Borey Thmei” restaurant.

According to guests who were present at the party, the owner of the new house is the deputy cabinet chief of the Pursat provincial office. On the day of the incident, the homeowner invited 500 guests, and each of the guests was fancily dressed, some (of the female guests) proudly showed off their partially covered chests, their bare backs, their uncovered thighs. It was observed that the guests filled in almost all the tables at the party, and when they were savoring their delicious foods, drinking their wines, and listening to music, the sky suddenly became darker and darker. Later on, a violent rainstorm fell, and a strong wind was blowing from the southeast. Now and then, the wind partially lifted off the improperly tied roof of the booth set up for the party. Guests, who were already drunk by then, did not pay much attention to this fact, but those who didn’t drink, were very scared each time the roof started to be lifted up by the wind. Soon later, the wind blew off the roof, and it immediately fell on the guests who were running away from the scene as if they escaping from a bomb explosion in Iraq. Some of the guests who were able to run away, got caught in the nets installed around the house to prevent poor children from coming in and pick up the empty cans and bottles. Some of these guests had their shoes broken, some lost one side of their shoes, and some others had the seats of their pants torn wide open when they tried to jump the fence.

According to the guests, when the incident took place, at some tables, only one or two dishes were just served, while at some other tables, the last soup was being served, and then some were just starting to clean their utensils and didn’t even have a chance to taste a bite of the foods yet (Note: In Cambodia, each table is served as soon as the guests filled in, foods are not served at all tables at the same time). The guests then took off, and they did not even pay the gift money to the homeowners, because a large majority of them had to go back home and eat their own food instead.

Following the incident, it was learned that two guests (one male and one female) were injured when the metallic roof fell on them and they had a gash on their heads. The sign of the nearby Borey Thmei restaurant was also sheared off by the blown roof. A guest at the party who lives by the Pursat market said while laughing that his wife, knowing he was attending a party, did not cook any food at home, and she only cooked some rice to eat with the leftover pork stew from the day before. His wife and his 3 children then finished all the leftover food, so that when he reached home after the storm, all that he found was some rice left, and he was forced to eat it with nothing else but soy sauce.

This is such a rare phenomenon, but it is also the fault of the booth builder who was negligent and did not tie the roof down to assure its safety.