Bangkok authorities declared a disaster across all 50 districts of the Thai capital on September 26 after continuous rain caused heavy flooding. The floods have driven thousands of residents into shelters, while others have scrambled to buy groceries or dry out their homes. Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos have been wading through murky, knee-deep water in the city, with some floating their belongings in plastic tubs or using small boats to traverse submerged city streets.
Evacuees have been resting under pop-up mosquito-net tents in a school gymnasium turned temporary refuge. Sunaporn Thongphajuti, a 46-year-old grocery store employee, arrived at the school on Sunday with only one shirt. She expressed hope of getting another shirt and a blanket to sleep with, but was determined to survive. Thailand is used to wet weather, and September is the peak of the rainy season, but several Bangkok residents said this year's flooding seemed worse than previous ones.
Office worker Bandit Pankan was among those frustrated that official warnings came too late. He received an SMS alert from the disaster agency on Saturday, but the water had already flooded in the night before. More than 330 millimeters of rain fell in some areas of the city between Thursday and Sunday, according to the weather agency. Nearly 4,900 people have been evacuated to shelters, with around 52,000 households affected by the floods.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration declared a disaster across the capital, with the prime minister's office asking the public to avoid panic-buying and warning that price gouging was a criminal offense. Some stores' shelves were emptied over the weekend as residents raced to buy essentials, while fresh produce at market stalls were kept dry in polystyrene foam boxes or hanging just above the water level.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on social media that water levels in the city's canals were still high, but authorities were working to speed up drainage. Kosin Nilset, who lives along the Premprachakorn canal on the outskirts of the capital, said his house was "underwater for about 30 hours." He noted that the water level was higher than the 2011 flood, which killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.
Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up due to fossil fuel emissions. Flooding was also reported on Sunday across 25 provinces in Thailand, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. More than 10,000 soldiers were deployed nationwide to aid in flood relief efforts, the defense ministry said.
Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan provinces, which border Bangkok, also declared several districts as disaster zones. Rain was forecast throughout Sunday for Bangkok and its surrounding provinces and would begin to taper off on Monday, the metropolitan administration said. Hundreds of schools will be closed on Monday, according to city authorities. The floods have prompted a disaster declaration across the capital, with authorities working to provide aid and support to affected residents.
Key points
- Thousands of residents in Bangkok have been forced into shelters due to severe flooding caused by days of heavy rain.
- The floods have affected around 52,000 households, with nearly 4,900 people evacuated to shelters.
- Authorities have deployed more than 10,000 soldiers nationwide to aid in flood relief efforts.
