Flooding in Bangkok: Nearly 4,900 people evacuated to shelters — Asharq Al-Awsat

In Bangkok, Thailand, several days of heavy downpours flooded residential buildings and roads. Nearly 4,900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters, while the effects of the flooding affected about 52,000 households, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing the Bangkok administration.

More than 330 millimeters of rainfall

Some areas of the Thai capital received more than 330 millimeters of rainfall from Thursday through Sunday. A disaster status was declared across Bangkok because of the flooding. Authorities worked to speed up water drainage from the city’s canal network, where water levels remained high on Sunday morning.

Forecasters predicted rain in Bangkok and neighboring provinces throughout Sunday, expecting it to ease on Monday. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said that several roads remained flooded and urged residents to avoid non-essential travel.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Shelters in schools and educational institution closures

About a thousand evacuees were staying at one temporary shelter at a school in the Kheha Romklao district, which the governor visited on Saturday evening. People rested on folding beds and benches in the corridors alongside dogs, as well as on classroom floors, where desks and chairs had been moved aside.

According to the city administration, hundreds of schools will be closed on Monday. During the weekend, shelves in some stores were emptied as residents bought essential goods. The prime minister’s office urged people not to stockpile excessively and reminded them that price gouging is a criminal offense.

Residents of areas near the Prempracha Korn canal said that water had flooded their homes. One resident noted that the water level was higher this time than during the 2011 floods. At that time, large-scale flooding in Thailand claimed the lives of more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.