Bangkok residents ordered to be ready to evacuate

Thai authorities on October 26 urged residents in flash flood areas in the capital Bangkok to evacuate immediately and warned of an impending "great flood" in the capital.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra also admitted on the same day that floodwaters had approached the center of the capital, the city's flood protection dykes could not stop the raging water from the north and warned Bangkok residents that the flooding could last another four weeks.

Flood Relief Operation Center (FROC) spokesman Thongthong Chantarangsu has urged Bangkok residents who are affected or may soon be affected by floods to consider evacuating to other areas.

The Thai government has ordered 21 provinces and cities, including Bangkok, to allow people to prepare for evacuation and deal with floods. FROC also expressed concern about the scarcity of food and necessities and said it would provide temporary tents for Bangkok's 12 million people.

After the FROC evacuation order was issued, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) announced that it was ready to evacuate about 1,200 people taking refuge at Don Muang Airport to a refuge site in the coastal province of Chon Buri, 80km from the capital.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on the same day that about 1.2 billion cubic meters of water, equivalent to 480,000 Olympic swimming pools, will flow into the capital Bangkok along with the seasonal high tide in this area.

In a statement released the same day, OCHA confirmed that floodwaters had entered the inner city. Meanwhile, Bangkok Mayor Sukhumbhand Paribatra also confirmed that a large amount of water would flow into Bangkok tonight (October 27).

Thailand is on a public holiday, with offices ordered to close and state and private businesses advised to let their staff go, but the central bank and financial markets remain open. Schools in Bangkok are unlikely to reopen before November 15, while more than 600 prisoners have been evacuated from Bangkok's Bang Kwang prison.

Dusit Zoo staff have also begun evacuating deer, antelopes and antelopes; installing additional platforms for lions to climb to avoid flooding; while the Bangkok Fisheries Department confirmed that the escaped crocodiles, measuring 1.7-1.8m in length, have not attacked humans.

The first batch of essential goods imported from Vietnam, Malaysia and some neighboring countries is expected to arrive at a port in Bangkok this weekend to meet increased domestic demand as floods may reach deeper into the city, the Thai Retailers Association said.

The move comes as residents in Bangkok and other flood-hit provinces are stockpiling essential goods amid fears of a prolonged flood, especially after the Thai government failed to protect the Navanakhorn Industrial Zone in Pathum Thani Province. Imported goods include drinking water, eggs, canned goods, vegetables, toilet paper, etc.

The two most noticeable features that tourists can easily see in Bangkok during this time are the empty stalls in many shops and supermarkets and the series of sandbags placed in front of shopping centers, restaurants and workplaces of Thai people. According to the VNA reporter in Thailand, bottled water, instant noodles, biscuits and other dry foods at Tesco Lotus supermarket, Big C, and 7 Eleven convenience stores have been almost absent in recent days, except for expensive brands.

Some stores in the Thai capital have begun rationing goods as people rush to stock up on food and other essentials, causing demand to rise by 300-500%. Each customer at Big C supermarket in central Bangkok is limited to one bag of rice and one carton of eggs. Toilet paper and other popular items are also being sold in limited quantities.

Floods in northern, northeastern and central Thailand have so far claimed the lives of at least 373 people since mid-July, affecting the lives of nearly 2.5 million people, with more than 113,000 people forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in evacuation centers.

The US has praised Thailand's ability to cope with the worst floods in decades in the country and said it is ready to support Thailand if necessary. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the US is closely monitoring the flood situation in Thailand and appreciates the timely response of the Thai government in this terrible natural disaster.

On the same day, the Pentagon said that during a routine visit, the US destroyer USS Mustin docked at Thailand's Laem Chabang port and was working with Thai representatives to donate clothes, food and money to the country's Red Cross.

Meanwhile, the UK and Singapore have advised their citizens to limit travel to Bangkok and those in the city must also quickly evacuate./.

(According to VNA/Vietnam+)