Bangkok Floods

[knocker]

Floods continue to threaten Bangkok but there is confusion among the public about the deluge dangers, who is in charge of operations and who to believe as authorities continue to bicker.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/261428/flood-threat-keeps-capital-on-red-alert

[Red Raven]

This seems like it could be a major event but there is so little news about it. The BBC report that the flood defences have been breached but its unclear where and to what extent. If the breach is near any tidal areas the spring tides that are forecast will inundate large areas.

Where's the news? Even youtube has only a couple of videos

[knocker]

Thai government officials are bracing for the possible onslaught of flood waters today as the capital city of Bangkok secures its floodwalls.

The Thai military has been working around the clock to firm up floodwalls just outside of Bangkok, as the government rushes to stay ahead of floodwaters and save the commercial heart of Thailand.

Today, Prime Minister Yingluck Sinawatra said 10 provinces in Thailand were still at "critical risk" from flooding, but that Bangkok's 9 million residents would likely be spared.

Monsoon rains have swamped more than half of Thailand since July, killing nearly 300 people, and displacing millions more.

A couple of videos here.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/bangkok-flooding-officials-hope-floodwalls-protect-thai-capital/story?id=14744566

Edited October 15, 2011 by weather ship

[knocker]

Thailand: Bangkok escape floods as waters recede

By THANYARAT DOKSONE, Associated Press – 4 hours ago

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — The government expressed confidence Sunday that Bangkok will escape Thailand's worst flooding in decades, as the capital's elaborate barriers held strong and floodwaters receded from submerged plains to the north.

Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut said the largest mass of runoff water flowing southward had passed through Bangkok's Chao Phraya river and into the Gulf of Thailand, and that the river's levels would rise no higher. He stopped short of saying the threat to Bangkok had passed completely. Some good images.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gm0ouyZX5zBotQNV12E4EqBG3K0A?docId=2bc3667fd2ba42ffa31012bf40dde41f

[knocker]

Bangkok braced for flooding

Thailand's low-lying capital was braced for the worst last night after the government admitted it could no longer control the flood waters threatening the northern perimeters.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/8838736/Bangkok-braced-for-flooding.html

[Coast]

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BANGKOK — Thailand’s catastrophic floods may take up to six weeks to recede, the prime minister said Saturday, as residents living in Bangkok’s outskirts sloshed through waist-high waters in some areas and the human toll from the crisis nationwide rose to 356 dead and more than 110,000 displaced.

Water bearing down on the capital from the north began spilling through Bangkok’s outer districts on Friday and continued creeping in on Saturday. So far, however, most of the metropolis of 9 million people has escaped unharmed, and its two airports are operating normally.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/thailands-prime-minister-says-flood-threat-may-last-6-weeks-110000-people-displaced/2011/10/22/gIQArCia5L_story.html

[knocker]

Looking a bit grim in Bangkok.

Bangkok governor warns of floods

(UKPA) – 1 hour ago

The governor of Bangkok has issued a dramatic warning to residents of the Thai capital to prepare for floodwaters to roll deeper into the city from suburban areas already choking under the deluge.

In a live televised address, governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said a massive amount of water has moved faster than anticipated and was expected to flood the Don Muang area just north of the city proper - where Bangkok's old airport is located and now being used as headquarters for the anti-flood effort and a shelter for evacuees.

Water flooded traffic lanes near Don Muang airport, though one lane was still passable.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iasWXToWOPuJvYRLz3hTH4OVo_kg?docId=N0238341319437565917A

[Coast]

[knocker]

I'm not at all sure people appreciate the devastation in Thailand at the moment.

Thailand Opens Evacuation Centers as Bangkok Flooding Forces Residents Out

Thailand’s government said it is losing the battle to protect Bangkok from rising floodwaters, and plans to open evacuation centers in eight provinces as the deluge forces more residents to give up their homes.

“The flooding is beyond our control now,” said Pracha Promnog, who heads the government’s flood relief operations. “The main wave of water hasn’t arrived in Bangkok yet.”

Diverting a three-meter-deep wall of water that is edging toward the capital is key to sparing the city of 9.7 million people from the severity of floods that have damaged about 10,000 factories north of the city. Authorities released large amounts of water earlier this month down a flood plain the size of Florida with Bangkok at its southern tip, after monsoon rains about 25 percent above the 30-year average filled dams to the north of the capital to capacity.

“We are trying to resist the nature of water,” Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said today. “We won’t be able to achieve that because there is such a large amount of water approaching Bangkok.”

Yingluck said all areas of Bangkok may be flooded for as long as a month. Yesterday, she said there was a “50-50” chance of avoiding a city-wide deluge. Conflicting warnings from the government have fueled panic buying of water and food, and some residents and foreign executives have left the capital as floodwaters seep into outlying districts.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-27/bangkok-floodwaters-beyond-our-control-thai-flood-center-says.html

[Coast]

[Coast]

[milkmaid]

if you haven't seen it, i've just watched this filmed around bangkok,it's very moving

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir26BUr-TWc&feature=related

[Coast]

and it's not over yet....

Anger and frustration are rising in Bangkok's northern and western suburbs, where successful efforts to save the city center from swirling floodwaters have led to even more misery. In some cases, vigilante groups have broken holes in the makeshift barriers protecting central Bangkok to let the waist-deep floodwaters escape more quickly from their own communities. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered one floodgate opened an extra meter to allow more water to drain to the sea. But city government officials warned the action could put some downtown areas at risk.

But in Bangkok's northern Laksi area, residents like Parait Pin-ngern said Tuesday the water level is still rising. "The water was stable and seemed to decrease around the 20th, so we came back. But today it rises dramatically," said Pin-ngern. "This time, we're almost too late to leave, as the water is one meter high in our house. This is unexpected level because this place is on a high ground.''

He said he was lucky to escape from his house before it was too late. The argument over which neighborhoods to protect and which to let flood is aggravated by Thailand's recent history of political strife. The prime minister and the governor of Bangkok are from opposing political parties with very different constituencies.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Thai-Anger-Grows-as-Floods-Hit-Some-Spare-Others-132981268.html