3 disasters hit within 48 hours

       Typhoon Ketsana, a tsunami and a major earthquake have wreaked havoc across the Asia-Pacific region as Samoa,Sumatra and Thailand bear the brunt of nature's fury.
       In Thailand, Typhoon Ketsana lashed Ubon Ratchathani yesterday, dumping heavy rain and causing widespread damage to several areas. No casualties were reported.
       Ketsana, which has been downgraded to a depression, was centred in Ubon's Muang district about 10am.
       The Meteorological Department was expecting Ketsana to weaken as it moved further inland over Si Sa Ket, Surin, Buri Ram and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces later yesterday.
       Ubon Ratchathani bore the brunt as the depression damaged more than 23,000 rai of farmland,250 local roads,nine bridges and a school, provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office head Borpit Panpinit said.
       In Chon Buri, monstrous waves believed to be caused by the storm sank tourist ferries in Pattaya. No casualties were reported.
       Meanwhile, a tsunami warning was lifted in six Andaman provinces last night after the Indonesian island of Sumatra was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale. News of the powerful quake, which killed 21 and left thousands trapped under rubble, triggered a tsunami warning in Phangnga, Krabi,Phuket, Ranong, Trang and Satun. Authorities at 8pm declared there was no threat.
       The aftershock was not severe enough to set off a tsunami, Meteorological Department forecast centre head Burin Wetbantoeng said. Many villagers in Ban Nam Kem and Khao Lak in Phangnga's Takua Pa district ran for safety after hearing of a possible tsunami.
       In Pattani, on the Gulf of Thailand coast, people were alarmed by a sudden drop in sea level near Ban Laem Nok.
       Mineral Resources Department spokesman Adichart Surinkam said Ketsana, not the tsunami, had caused the unusual coastal conditions.
       There was also a tsunami alert triggered by an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale in the Pacific Ocean which caused the tsunami which struck Samoa and American Samoa yesterday.
       Meanwhile, the government is sending 100,000 aid packages to Manila, which is facing a humanitarian crisis after Typhoon Ketsana killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands more.