Major floods in Bangkok: state of disaster declared

After several days of rain and floods which submerged markets, roads and homes, thousands of residents of Bangkok (Thailand) took refuge in reception centers on Sunday September 27. Pedestrians dressed in plastic ponchos waded through knee-deep murky water in the Thai capital, some venturing to a supermarket, while others carried their belongings in plastic bins floating on the water. "People can't leave their homes. We're starting to run out of food, so I went out to buy some," motorcycle taxi driver Aduenan Surorot told AFP outside a grocery store.

More than 33 cm of rain fell in some areas of Bangkok between Thursday and Sunday, according to weather services. Nearly 4,900 people were evacuated to reception centers and around 52,000 households were affected by the floods, which led to the declaration of a state of disaster for the entire capital. Thailand is used to heavy rains and September is the peak of the wet season, but many Bangkok residents said the situation this year was worse than previous ones.

Shelves in some stores were empty over the weekend as residents rushed for essentials, while fresh produce from market stalls was kept dry in polystyrene crates or hung just above water level. The Prime Minister's office asked the population to avoid panic buying and reminded that price speculation constitutes a criminal offense.

Bandit Pankan, an office worker, is among those who lament that the official warnings were issued too late. “I wasn't prepared for it at all,” he says. “We received an SMS alert yesterday from the disaster agency, but the water had already entered during the previous night.”

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on social media on Sunday that several roads remained flooded and water levels in the city's canals remained high, but authorities were working to speed up drainage. Hundreds of schools will remain closed on Monday, according to municipal authorities.