Striking Thailand with unprecedented strength, Typhoon Gay caused catastrophic damage across many of its provinces. Areas between Chumphon and Rayong provinces were severely affected by heavy rains, high winds and large swells. Rainfall amounts peaked at Chumphon, where fell during the cyclone's passage. Widespread disruption of communication and electricity occurred in most areas south of Bangkok; many households remained without power for weeks. Damaging winds uprooted numerous trees and power poles and toppled wooden houses built on stilts. Exacerbated by deforestation, flash flooding triggered by the storm damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and caused at least 365 fatalities. Several towns and villages across Chumphon province were devastated, and one of the destroyed villages "looked like it had been bombed" according to the "Bangkok Post". Entire districts were reportedly "flattened" in Chumphon and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces. The typhoon destroyed many schools across Chumphon and Surat Thani provinces, many of which were constructed of wood. All structures close to the storm's path had their windows and doors blown out, and some multi-story buildings lost their upper floors. A few schools constructed from reinforced concrete sustained little damage. More than a thousand roads and 194 bridges were damaged or washed away. At the height of the floods, over 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres) of land was under water. Onshore, 558 fatalities were attributed to the storm, and another 44 died just offshore. Throughout Thailand, approximately 47,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and more than 200,000 people were affected, of which about 153,000 were left homeless. Monetary losses reached 11billion baht (US$456.5million), ranking Gay as one of the costliest disasters in the country's history.