If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

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lee
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If Bangkok goes under

Post by lee » October 22, 2011, 1:47 pm

Thanks for the update Sean. Maybe it's time to have a few weeks off work and make your way back to Udon.

Your latest SMS report doesn't sound very promising. :(



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BangkokButcher
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If Bangkok goes under

Post by BangkokButcher » October 22, 2011, 2:07 pm

lee wrote:Maybe it's time to have a few weeks off work and make your way back to Udon.
If only it was that easy :(, getting time off here is not an easy thing to accomplish, I'm lucky to get anything more than 3 hours off at a time at the moment!

Latest news update:
Thai PM warns deadly floods to last weeks more
By Anusak Konglang (AFP) – 2 hours ago
BANGKOK — Thailand's prime minister warned that the kingdom would endure at least one more month of flooding, telling anxious residents in the capital Bangkok to prepare for possible metre-deep water.
The authorities have launched a high-stakes attempt to channel the floodwaters from the central plains out to sea through canals in the city, which has already seen waist-high water in parts of its northern outskirts.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who has invoked a disaster law to take full control of the emergency response, told Bangkok residents to move their belongings at least one metre (3.3 feet) off the ground.
"Bangkok must open all floodgates to allow the water through," said Yingluck. "So during this long weekend residents should move belongings, cars and other valuable things to places at least one metre high."
"There is a huge volume of run-off water from the north and we can't effectively block it but can only slow the flow because our barriers are temporary," she said in her televised weekly address to the nation.
"It's an extremely serious situation that affects people's lives and property," added Yingluck, whose two-month-old government is racing to avert a humanitarian disaster.
Three months of heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 356 people in Thailand and damaged the homes and livelihoods of nine million people, mostly in the north and centre, the government said.
About 113,000 people have been forced to seek refuge in shelters, Yingluck said, adding that while the waters were receding in some areas of the country, the floods heading towards the capital were unstoppable.
The overall flood situation would continue for "four to six weeks", she added.
In Bangkok, home to 12 million people, residents have rushed to stock up on food and bottled water, while motorists have parked hundreds of cars on bridges or elevated roads.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and police have been mobilised to maintain order.
The opposition is calling on the government to declare a state of emergency to make it easier to control people and protect flood barriers, but Yingluck has ruled out such a move.
She said the authorities would secure important locations such as the palaces, government buildings, major utilities and key transport routes.
"The government will oversee the distribution of all consumer goods and ensure that they are sufficient and available for everyone."
A political novice before taking office, the sister of fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra is facing the first major test of her fledgling leadership.
The authorities have failed to protect a number of major industrial parks from the gushing brown water, which has inundated hundreds of factories outside Bangkok, disrupting the production of cars, electronics and other goods.
The government says more than half a million people have seen their jobs disappear for now.
Most of Thailand's main tourist attractions -- including the southern islands of Samui, Phuket and Phi Phi -- have been unaffected although some foreign governments have warned against non-essential travel to Bangkok.
Bangkok's main airport, built on a drained marsh, is still operating as normal and its flood defences have been reinforced.
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... d4e724.541

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trubrit
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Rats as big as cats .

Post by trubrit » October 22, 2011, 3:23 pm

Just been watching the TV and they are showing a plague of rats as big as cats fleeing the flood water for higher ground.Couldn't make out where it was though but I think in Bangkok . That will be the next step, spreading disease .
Ageing is a privilige denied to many .

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If Bangkok goes under

Post by BangkokButcher » October 22, 2011, 3:38 pm

That was another eerie point I forgot to mention about this morning's drive into work.

There was a distinct lack of animal and bird sounds!

I've just uploaded the Nostra/ESRI flood map and noted a few of the main locations in English.

As you can see, the real deluge of water is being held back in the Northern areas surrounding Bangkok.
If, what I am hearing is true, they will try to pump it eastwards to let it run into the sea.
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If Bangkok goes under

Post by Pinoy » October 24, 2011, 2:46 am

In a worst case scenario I suppose the subway system will be able to buy bangkok some time being a huge and till now - as far as I am informed - potential reservoir. Rebuilding that will take years...

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If Bangkok goes under

Post by pompui » October 25, 2011, 2:32 pm

Reading the Bangkokpost online,it appears Nokair are suspending services out of Don Muang until 1 November,hoping for more updates today or even their own website. :shock:

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If Bangkok goes under

Post by Shado » October 25, 2011, 3:06 pm

Nok Air suspends flights until Nov 1
Published: 25/10/2011 at 12:39 PM
Online news:

Nok Air, a low-cost airline, has suspended all of its flights from noon today until Nov 1 because water has begun to flow into the area north of Don Mueang airport, the airline's excutive Patee Sarasin wrote on the @Patee122 Twitter page.

He said all Nok Air flights which have left other destinations for Don Mueang would be diverted to Suvarnabhumi airport.

All Nok Air flights have been suspended from today to Nov 1, he said.

Nok Air flights normally operate through Don Mueang airport.

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If Bangkok goes under

Post by Shado » October 25, 2011, 4:47 pm

A LITTLE MORE ON THE DON MUANG SITUATION:

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's devastating flood crisis deepened Tuesday after floodwaters began pouring over sandbagged barriers protecting Bangkok's second airport, forcing a halt to commercial flights after airlines based there suspended operations.

It was not immediately clear how much water had entered Don Muang airport, which is used primarily for domestic flights, or whether it was controllable. But the news was sure to further erode the credibility of a government that has repeatedly sent mixed signals about its ability to defend an increasingly anxious capital from Thailand's worst floods in nearly 60 years.

Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, the country's main international gateway, has yet to be affected by flooding and flights there were operating normally. Most of the city has been spared inundation so far.

Budget airline Nok Air suspended operations at Don Muang until Nov. 1 "because water has entered the north side of the airport already," the company's CEO Patee Sarasin told The Associated Press. He said all airborne aircraft would be diverted to Suvarnabhumi.

The only other main carrier using Don Muang, Orient Thai Airlines, also said it was suspending flights and would transfer domestic operations to Suvarnabhumi.

An airport official confirmed water had crept inside the airport compound, but he said runways were unaffected.

An Associated Press reporter at the airport walked through ankle-high water that had pooled over a tarmac zone several hundred yards (meters) squared. Some of the water was spilling over a thigh-high sandbag barrier on the airport's northern side; two aircraft were visible outside a hangar about 500 yards (500 meters) away.

Don Muang has come to symbolize the gravity of Thailand's catastrophic floods, which have swamped a third of the country's provinces and killed 366 people over three months. It houses the government's emergency Flood Relief Operations Center, and one of its terminals is home to thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes.

Last week, the Thai air force moved about 20 planes from Don Muang, which also home to a military base, as a precaution as waters approached the capital.

Floodwaters have been pouring into the Don Muang district, located on Bangkok's northernmost outskirts, for several days. The waist-high water has entered homes and blocked streets running to the airport.

Don Muang is among seven of the capital's 50 districts that the government has declared at risk. Those zones, located in the north and northwest, are all experiencing minor flooding.

The latest to be added to the list was the northwestern district of Bang Phlat. Late Monday, Gov. Suhumbhand Paribatra warned residents there to move their belongings to higher ground after water from the Chao Phraya River crept in through a subway construction site.

Also Tuesday, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's administration declared Oct. 27-31 public holidays in affected areas, including Bangkok, government spokesman Thitima Chaisaeng said.

Last week, Yingluck ordered key floodgates opened to help drain runoff through urban canals to the sea, but there is great concern that rising tides in the Gulf of Thailand this weekend could slow critical outflows and flood the city.

Late Monday, the flood relief center said water levels in the worst-hit parts of the country — the submerged provinces north of Bangkok — were stable or subsiding. But the massive runoff was still bearing down on the city as it flowed south toward the Gulf of Thailand.

While neighborhoods just across Bangkok's boundaries are underwater, most of Bangkok is dry and has not been directly affected by deluge.

Anxious Bangkokians, though, have been raiding stores to stock up on emergency supplies, and many have been protecting homes and businesses with sandbags. Some have even erected sealed cement barriers across shop-fronts.

___

Associated Press writer Vee Intarakratug contributed to this report.

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by JR » October 25, 2011, 9:27 pm

As of 1900 hours today, Don Muang airport is closed. (Bangkok Post)

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by BangkokButcher » October 25, 2011, 10:16 pm

Just finished watching the PM's latest update, summary is below:
PM Reveals Worse Case Scenario; Bkk Sees 10 CM to 1.5 Meters of Flooding
UPDATE : 25 October 2011
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra addressed the nation in a televised speech confirming that northern runoff has indeed reached the capital. She admits that the volume of water is larger than the capacity of flood barriers and drainage systems can facilitate. However, she said the government is doing its best to minimize the impact, putting into use all tools to divert water into the West and the East.

Yingluck said the public and private sector are working together to divert water into the Thajeen River in the West. In the North, the Rangsit Canal is being utilized to its full capacity as water is channeled into the lower Hok Wa Canal.

However, with these mechanisms in place, some areas of Bangkok will inevitably see flooding. She stressed that, as eastern Bangkok is traditionally a flood way for the city, areas such as Meenburi and other eastern districts could see water of as high as one to 1.5 meters.

Residents in the North and West can expect to see 50 centimeters of flood water.

The possibility of inner city Bangkok floods will depend on if flood barriers hold. In the worst case scenario, the prime minister said that business districts would see 10 centimeters to 1.5 meters of water depending on the area. Various areas will not see the same level as some areas are lower than others.

Yingluck admitted that another worrying factor is the rising tide which is affecting the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Riverside communities and roads are the most at risk at this time.

The prime minister stressed that all residents should move their belongings to higher ground in preparation for a worst case scenario if flood barriers collapse.

Under such circumstances, the government will do its best to protect electricity and water distribution systems to make sure service is not disrupted.

However, if residents feel they would like to return to their home provinces or would like to leave Bangkok, the Transport and Interior ministries will facilitate flood victims who would like to relocate, either home or to provincial evacuation centers.

Prime Minister Yingluck went on to say that the Flood Relief Operations Center will be moving its donation center to the National Stadium to make it easy for people to donate without having to pass through flooding at the Don Mueang Airport.

source: http://www.tannetwork.tv/tan/ViewData.a ... ID=1049164

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by Pinoy » October 28, 2011, 4:19 am

They are getting desperate down there - cant realy blame them - and quite satisfied not being in the chair of the top dog in FROC:

There are a nice and informative map attached the article in the the link:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2 ... inage-plan

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by BangkokButcher » October 28, 2011, 8:20 am

Pinoy wrote:They are getting desperate down there - cant realy blame them - and quite satisfied not being in the chair of the top dog in FROC:

There are a nice and informative map attached the article in the the link:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2 ... inage-plan
Note to self:
"Remember to move away from Bang Na Trat Road if they decide to go ahead with this plan"

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stattointhailand
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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by stattointhailand » October 28, 2011, 4:53 pm

How far behind the times are these Bangkok guys?

The road engineers in Isaan have been operating the "bloody great holes in the road" principal for years to drain the rain away :-"

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FrazeeDK
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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by FrazeeDK » October 28, 2011, 5:07 pm

road the BTS down to Taksin Bridge today to take a look at the river. It is indeed quite high, probably over 2 meters higher than normal. The Taksin Bridge River boat pickup point is heavily sandbagged. That said, the water is NOT yet coming over the flood walls at the river's edge. Central Bangkok continues to feverishly prepare for flooding with trucks continually brining in more sandbags and crews putting up walls.. Central World actually has sandbag barriers at the stairs leading up to the walking area outside the mall. this is at least 2.5 meters above street level so if the waters get that deep, Bangkok is in deep kimchi.. A late posting to the BKK Post says the Phra Kanong canal overflowed and burst a sandbag dyke flodding around Sukhumvit Soi 50.. The city authorities say they should have the wall rebuilt soon..
Dave

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Post by BangkokButcher » October 28, 2011, 5:13 pm

FrazeeDK wrote:A late posting to the BKK Post says the Phra Kanong canal overflowed and burst a sandbag dyke flodding around Sukhumvit Soi 50.. The city authorities say they should have the wall rebuilt soon..
Well Sukhumvit Road has finally been breached in the Phra Kanong, On Nut & Bang Na areas.

Water was currently flowing in quickly around sois 48/50, but they are trying to fix it (according to TV they already have, but for how long?)

I've still got my emergency bag packed just in case I can't make it back to my condo tonight...
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fredythehound
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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by fredythehound » October 29, 2011, 2:53 am

The baht has been strong over the last 7 years but i think the wider flood problems looks sure to devalue

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stattointhailand
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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by stattointhailand » October 29, 2011, 12:52 pm

Your trying that "common sence" approach again aren't you.
Before DM airport flooded 49.4 to 1 GBP now it's strengthened to 49.1
How do they manage to keep it so strong? Everything that is happening, including the floods and current financial state of Thailand tells me it HAS to weaken

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by parrot » October 29, 2011, 1:44 pm

There have been many times that I've thought the Baht would take a dive......the coup of 2006, the protests in 2008, and especially last year's firestorm in May.

The Baht was at 37+ ($) in Sept 2006 (coup), then 33+ with the state of emergency in Sept 2008, a bump with the airport seizure in Nov 2008 with the baht at 35+, then back downhill even as Bangkok was in flames in 2010 with the baht at 34+.....the government has (IMO) been in a state of turmoil since the coup with multiple changes in leadership....but yet the baht continues to strengthen to its present state of 30 and change.
If I had invested in more baht at all of those trouble points, instead of holding off while thinking the baht would dip, I'd be a richer man than I am today.
Likewise, I'd have guessed that tourists would stay away with all the political turmoil here and financial trouble elsewhere, and now the floods, but they just keep on coming.
I decided long ago that I'm not much good at predicting....or as my wife likes to say
หมอดูคูหมอยเดา (maw doo koo maw dao) The fortune teller is pretty much just guessing.

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by FrazeeDK » October 29, 2011, 9:21 pm

the Phra Khanong dike was repaired and the water pretty much pumped out. All said though, the dike that burst was on the east side of Khlong Phra Khanong away from central Bangkok. This Saturday morning's 0915 "high tide" caused additional flooding along Charoen Khrung Road, and through Yaowarat (China town).. Afternoon news shots from the Grand Palace area showed less water in the streets.. Businesses in Central BKK continue to build sandbag barricades in preparation for the worst.... Guess it will take another week for things to settle down.
Dave

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If Bangkok goes under - Thailand Floods

Post by fredythehound » October 30, 2011, 12:00 am

FrazeeDK wrote:the Phra Khanong dike was repaired and the water pretty much pumped out. All said though, the dike that burst was on the east side of Khlong Phra Khanong away from central Bangkok. This Saturday morning's 0915 "high tide" caused additional flooding along Charoen Khrung Road, and through Yaowarat (China town).. Afternoon news shots from the Grand Palace area showed less water in the streets.. Businesses in Central BKK continue to build sandbag barricades in preparation for the worst.... Guess it will take another week for things to settle down.
allso thai exports are going down ,india stopped buying rice because the strong baht makes it expensive to buy ,and same with other exports are loosing to other countries how they keeping baht strong i dont know,apart from making more from tourists who dont seem to mind extra cost,but thats easy if you only stay 2 or 3 weeks

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