Thailand Floods: Barricading Bangkok

16 October 2011

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand has been facing some of the worst flooding that the country has seen in over a decade. In the Thailand capital of Bangkok, a city of over 9 million inhabitants, officials and residents have been on alert and have barricaded the city with sandbags and other materials in order to protect from catastrophic flooding. Outside of the capital, officials are reporting of thousands of displaced residents who are fighting for survival, as their villages lay partially submerged under the heavy flooding. The Thai military has already been called to aid residents of the city of Aytthaya, as the area is among the hardest hit and residents had to be rescued from the roof tops of their homes. Among other worries of officials is the fact that Thailand has been experiencing tides that are higher than usual, which is causing the flood run off to resceed much slower into the Chao Phraya River. Officials believe that the capital of Bangkok has avoided flooding catastrophe so far thanks in part to the very complex system of canals, dikes, and flood walls which are helping to divert huge amounts of water run-off into the Gulf of Thailand. So far, officials feel that the necessary precautions have been taken and there is high confidence that Bangkok will see minimal damage.

SOURCE: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097050,00.html

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