ExpatOilWorker

My best estimate as of mid day monday oct 24 for worst case flooding in next week, dark blue= 3 ft, lt blue=foot or two, yellow= few inches, green= mai pen rai. Based on new BKK topography and Google earth combination.

http://pic.twitter.com/0XFWgJzx

swelters

Can you post a larger version of that map? I don't have a TW account.

Thanks Tony, this is the best and most comprehensive report on TV so far. We need you out there every night. Keep posting please.

Just came home from Soi Cowboy....ehm, I mean Asoke and there is a big crane in the middle of the Asoke/Sukhumvit intersection, opening up the road to a big sewage.

All dry still, but maybe they are blocking it to prevent flooding.

same same no change

Same-same, but different!

Maybe they just granted him his last wish.....

Is this another example where they cry wulf......ehm, I mean water.

Better wear shorts when going to the bars tonight. I hate getting my slacks wet!

I am so sorry, did I really write "Venice of Asia"?

I meant Atlantis of course. Honest mistake.....

I don't see any of the below guidelines applied when throwing together the hastily build sandbag barriers that is suppose to protect Bangkok. No wonder they collapse one after the other.

Anything about 5 feet seem like a mementous task.

Sandbagging for Flood ProtectionAE-626 (Revised), February 2011

Kenneth Hellevang, Extension Engineer

Adobe Acrobat PDF version suitable for printing. (170KB)

A sandbag dike must be built properly to prevent or reduce flood damage.

Managing Volunteers

Since a dike will fail if not built correctly, training people on proper procedures for placing sandbags is very important. In the rush, volunteers will do something, but the result frequently is a dike that performs poorly or fails. Put a high priority on planning and organization. Identifying a supervisor for the project is recommended.

Sandbags

Bags are made from various materials, but the most common is woven polypropylene. They usually measure about 14 inches wide and 24 to 26 inches long. Other sizes of bags also are available, but bags are easier to handle if their weight with filling in them is limited to 35 to 40 pounds.

Sand is the easiest material for filling and shaping sandbags. Silt and clay in bags will form a good dike, but working with those materials is more difficult. Fill sandbags slightly more than one-half full.

Contact your county emergency management office for information on where to obtain sandbags.

Site Selection

When selecting the location for the dike, take advantage of natural land features that keep the dike as short and low as possible. Avoid obstructions that would weaken the dike. Do not build the dike against a building wall due to the forces the dike may place on the building. Leave at least 8 feet to maneuver between the dike and buildings for observation, pumping seepage water and other activities.

Since friction holds a dike from sliding, create a good bond between the ground and the dike. Remove ice and snow since it will melt permitting water to flow under the dike. Remove anything else that is "slippery." If the dike is to be more than about 3 feet high, dig a bonding trench where the dike will be placed if possible. The trench should be about 4 to 6 inches deep and 18 to 24 inches wide.

Estimate Sandbags Needed

Build the dike at least 1 foot higher than the projected crest level to allow for fluctuations in the water level. Local experience will assist in determining the amount of freeboard to provide.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommends building a dike with a width at the base that is three times the dike height. For example, a 4-foot-high dike would have a base width of 12 feet. The corps indicates that each foot of finished dike length requires one bag, each foot of height requires three bags, and each 2.5 feet of width requires three bags. This results in each bag having placed dimensions of about 4 inches high by 10 inches wide by 14 inches long.

Use the following equation to estimate the number of bags required per linear foot of dike for a dike with a base width that is three times the height.

The estimated number of bags needed for 100 linear feet of dike is:

A common recommendation is to make the dike twice as wide as its height. This is a minimum width-to-height ratio that should be used. The estimated number of bags needed for this ratio is in the following table. This is based on each bag having placed dimensions of about 4 to 5 inches high by 9 to 10 inches wide by 14 inches long.

The estimated number of bags needed for 100 linear feet of dike that it twice as wide as its height is:

A cubic yard will fill about 100 30-pound sandbags or about 75 40-pound bags, assuming the sand weighs 110 pounds per cubic foot. Sand weighs 100 to 130 pounds per cubic foot, depending on moisture content and packing. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Each 14-inch by 24-inch bag will hold about 0.4 cubic feet if filled about one-half full. Based on volume, each yard will fill about 67 bags one-half full.

Filling Sandbags

Fill the bags about one-half full and tie the bag near the top, if it is tied, which permits the sand to move easily in the bag to create a good dike. Overfilled bags and bags tied too low leave gaps in the dike, which allows water to seep through. Sandbags do not need to be tied unless they are transported. Filling sandbags usually is a two-person operation. One member of the team holds the bag on the ground slightly in front of his or her spread feet and the second shovels the sand into the bag. Use gloves to protect the bag holder's hands. The use of safety goggles is desirable, especially during dry and windy days. For large-scale operations, filling sandbags can be expedited by using bag-holding racks, funnels on the back of dump trucks used for sanding operations and various power loading equipment. However, the special equipment required is not always available during an emergency.

Stacking Sandbags

Lift bags using your legs and limit twisting of your back. Gently hand the sandbag to the next person in a sandbag brigade or line.

A triangular or pyramid shape for the dike is not necessary if the height will be 1 foot or less. Support the wall of sandbags with "clusters" of bags every 5 feet to stabilize the sandbag wall so it does not tip over from the force exerted by the floodwater.

Place the first layer of bags lengthwise on the dike (parallel to the flow), lapping the bags so the filled portion of one bag lies on the unfilled portion of the next, with the tied or open end of the bag facing downstream. Offset adjacent rows or layers by one-half bag length to eliminate continuous joints, similar to what is done laying bricks. Compact and shape each bag by walking on it to develop dike strength and create a tight seal. Continue to walk on the bags as succeeding layers are placed.

The base of the dike should be about two to three times as wide as the dike is high to provide adequate strength and friction surface area. Water exerts a tremendous force against the dike. Estimate the pressure on the dike base by multiplying the water depth by 62 pounds. For example, the pressure that 5 feet of water exerts on the base of a dike is about 310 pounds per square foot. The force of 5 feet of water on a vertical wall is about 775 pounds per linear foot of wall. Flowing water striking the dike exerts even more force on the dike. A triangular-shaped dike permits the weight of the water to push down on the dike to help hold it in place.

Sealing the Dike

The finished dike should be sealed with a sheet of plastic to improve water tightness. Spread a layer of soil or sand 1 inch deep and about 1 foot wide along the bottom of the dike on the water side. Lay polyethylene plastic sheeting so the bottom extends 1 foot beyond the bottom edge of the dike over the loose soil or sand. The upper edge should extend over the top of the dike. Poly sheeting at least 6 mils thick is preferred. It generally is available in 100-foot rolls from construction supply firms, lumberyards and farm stores. Do not put plastic sheeting under the bags since that will increase the potential for the dike to slide.

If more than one sheet of plastic is used, the poly sheeting should be placed from downstream to upstream and the next sheet upstream overlapped by at least 3 feet. Overlapping in this direction prevents the current from flowing under the overlap and tearing the poly loose.

Lay the plastic sheeting down very loosely. The pressure of the water will make the plastic conform easily to the sandbag surface. If the plastic is stretched too tightly, the water force could puncture it. Place a row of sandbags on the bottom edge of the plastic to form a watertight seal along the water side. Place sandbags to hold down the top edge of the plastic. Avoid puncturing the plastic with sharp objects or by walking on it.

Controlling Seepage

Use a sump or skimmer pump to remove water that permeates through the dike. A 5-gallon pail with numerous holes drilled in the side and placed in a hole dug into the ground can be used as a sump to collect seepage water. Use ground fault circuit interrupters on circuits or extension cords to reduce the risk of electrocution.

Disposing of Used Sand

Floodwater is generally considered as polluted, so sand from bags exposed to flood water should not be used for children’s sand boxes. It can be used for typical construction applications.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2009-41210-05965.

The NDSU Extension Service does not endorse commercial products or companies even though reference may be made to tradenames, trademarks or service names.

NDSU encourages you to use and share this content, but please do so under the conditions of our Creative Commons license. You may copy, distribute, transmit and adapt this work as long as you give full attribution, don’t use the work for commercial purposes and share your resulting work similarly. For more information, visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agcomm/creative-commons.

For more information on this and other topics, see: www.ag.ndsu.edu

AE-626 (Revised), February 2011

Flood Protection with Sandbags.pdf

You must be American?

When I was in Saudi it was only the American oilworkers that went to Pattaya for Rest and Relaxation, the Brits went for I&I, Intercourse and Intoxication.

I like the Brittish definition of R&R. I thought most people came to Pattaya for the sea-food, especially the shellfish

Really................have you thought about contacting BP???? Surely knowing everything about the oil industry, you could have saved them fortune in the GOM

I didn't bring my notes from the Congressional Hearing, so I was think more along the line of shooting sh!t about oil in general.

Did you know we have already produced and consumed 1,000 billion bbls of oil or about 10 times the volume of water that is currently north of Bangkok (assuming the 14 billion m3 goverment figure is correct).

Do u have any pictures we can see?

No I haven't , we had a few hours warning on the day and with 16 hours it went from a trickle to 4 feet , scary. We were too busy escaping with our belongings.

Bummer, pictures are worth a 1000 words, so you have some typing to do.............

Do u have any pictures we can see?

"Best Way To Sell A House In Pattaya"...................lower your price!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, now we know..................nobody cares!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be in Pattaya (October 18).......you want to meet for a beer?

Just say that the money is in the bed room, you want to come?

I have done it at Super Rich. No problem at all.

If you are in Bangkok, just go to Super Rich. You will get the T/T buying rate for cash money.

The Regent thread on Skyscrapercity website has been deleted.

The discussion followed the projects progress from the piles going in 2003, to the shutdown to 2008, to the recent banking discussions in 2010, to the rumors of a restart.... then deleted.

Will the original buyers (in 2003) get compensation?

It is probably not deleted, just moved. The site is a bit confusing.

"Will the original buyers (in 2003) get compensation?".......my guess is NEVER!

Lessons can be learnt from disastrous floods

You would hope so, wouldn't you?

They Have had floods here in Thailand for decades and a real bad one in 1995, lessons were not learned then so why should this one be any different?

They've had floods for centuries, and were probably much better prepared for it a hundred years ago than now. This country have done anything possible to ignore nature for at least 50 years. Learning is possible, but in this case it will be a tough process. The medicine might taste really sour, maybe to sour for some.

Centuries ago it was probably a lot like this

No flood = eat rice

flood = eat fish

mai pen rai......

Bingo your not fooling anyone. I can tell you nearly every farang that lives in the outskirts of BKK all think its cool to be with Thais, no embarrassing faring around. Some even learn some thai and try to blend with the locals trying to justify there existence in no where land.

All have one thing in common . little money

these same guys travel 60 mins in traffic , rain, bts and mrt and by boat to get down town and hang out with the boys. Just yesterday I spoke to a teacher that walks home (90) mins rather than pay the 500 bht taxis charge after 2.00 am

have never met a rich farang living in the outskirts of town , ever!

its always about the money.

enjoy but lets keep it real :jap:

You have the most amazing friends. Can this guy really walk the equivalent of a 500 baht taxi trip in light traffic in 90 min? Is he the World Champion speed walker?

Yes, shall we keep it real.......Trendy is NOT a nice place to live

Suwithawong minburi seems ok now. Heavy rain right now which isnt good. Klum khao rd just from suwithawong to latkrang/romklao is underwater, Thats a no go area if you have to drive.

I'm in the Floraville estate on Suwittawong Road ( KM 43 opposite CP Food ) currently the water is 200 mm's outside our home front gate and rising slowly, other sections of roads in our area are deeper than that. The heavy evening downpours lately haven't done us any favours either. Access will be a real problem to our estate if the water continues to rise. The estates rear entrance is heavily under water and the road is severly damaged. Motorists moving in the opposite direction in our estate don't help either by making waves like jet skis because they can't show any control and slow down. I'm in two minds whether to move up to our holiday shack which is 50kms away on higher ground or sit it out here.

Im in the next village to you. Preecha soi 34. I noticed you have been flooded for a few days now as lots of cars are parked at the security entrance. We have been blocking holes in the permiter wall here with clay. Its stopped water coming in so far but if the water arrives here today or tomorrow i imagine there is no stopping it. Worrying for this area. I also noticed the new car sales garage has evacuted all most all of its call. That is slightly concerning as that garage is elevated a few feet from suwithwong rd and alot lot higher thatour villages.

Good luck mate.

You guys are straight north of the airport. Looks like it is coming closer.

http://maps.google.co.th/maps?q=Thanon+Suwinthawong,+Bangkok&hl=en&ll=13.808076,100.824966&spn=0.615454,1.055374&sll=13.0376,101.491373&sspn=14.855181,8.296016&geocode=FWSy0gAdIHYCBg&hnear=Thanon+Suwinthawong,+Bangkok&t=m&z=11&vpsrc=6

I was wondering how the current flood compare in size to past floods. The only hard number we have is the 14 billion m3 accumulated north of Bangkok. How much was there in 1942, '83 and '95?

Anybody good at doing a historical search on Google?

From the below report, it looks like the 1995 flood was pretty bad. "68 provinces and 4.2 million people affected"

(http://reliefweb.int/node/33579)

ThailandThailand - Floods Information Report No.1

Report—UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs Ref: DHAGVA - 95/0503

SITUATION

1. THE INFLUENCE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THAILAND COMBINED WITH THE EFFECTS OF A SERIES OF TROPICAL STORMS PASSING THROUGH THE COUNTRY FROM THE SOUTH CHINA SEA HAVE CAUSED INCESSANT HEAVY RAINS SINCE JULY 1995, LEADING TO THE OCCURRENCE OF FLASH FLOODS AND SUDDEN ONRUSHES OF WATER FROM THE FORESTS, AFFECTING THE NORTHERN, NORTHEASTERN, EASTERN AND SOUTHERN REGIONS OF THAILAND.

2. AS OF 26 OCTOBER, 68 OUT OF 76 PROVINCES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. POPULATION AFFECTED ARE 4.224 MILLION PERSONS OR 1.153 MILLION FAMILIES. 56,984 PERSONS OR 17,024 FAMILIES HAVE BEEN EVACUATED. TOTAL OF 231 LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST.

3. DAMAGE TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES IS: 17,200 ROADS; 1,008 BRIDGES; 1,168 TEMPLES; 1,318 MINES, DAMS AND DYKES; 1,121 SCHOOLS; AND 296 GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. DAMAGE TO AGRICULTURAL LAND IS 1.336 MILLION HA. 829,439 LIVESTOCK WAS LOST. 31,902 FISH PONDS/SHRIMP FARMS WERE DESTROYED.

4. ESTIMATES OF FLOOD DAMAGE AMOUNT ABOUT USD 140.5 MILLION OR 3,526 MILLION BAHT, COMPRISING OF PUBLIC UTILITIES USD 54.6 MILLION; AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND FISHERIES USD 85.9 MILLION.

NATIONAL RESPONSE

5. GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN SO FAR PROVIDING EMERGENCY RELIEF ASSISTANCE, AMOUNTING TO ABOUT USD 22.5 MILLION OR 565.4 MILLION BAHT.

6. FLOOD-AFFECTED PROVINCES HAVE SET UP RELIEF CENTRES WITH FULL COOPERATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES SUCH AS PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION, PUBLIC WELFARE, ACCELERATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, RED CROSS CENTRES, ARMY, POLICE, VOLUNTEERS OF CIVIL DEFENCE AND VARIOUS FOUNDATIONS.

7. RESIDENTS IN FLOOD-STRICKEN AREAS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED TO SAFER, DRIER AREAS. FOOD AND CLOTHING HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED. FIRST AID AND MEDICAL ATTENTION HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO THE SICK. HOMES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED WHERE REPAIRABLE, DYKES BUILT TO PREVENT FLASH FLOODS AND DREDGES DUG UP TO HELP DRAIN THE WATER.

8. GOVERNMENT HAS NOT MADE AN APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. DHA/UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR MONITORS SITUATION. TELEPHONE NO. +41-22-917-1234

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY: TELEPHONE NO. +41-22-917-2010

DESK OFFICER: MR. Y. FUKASAWA, DIRECT TELEPHONE NO. +41-22-917-3131

PRESS TO CONTACT: MS. M. MOULIN-ACEVEDO, DIRECT TEL. +41-22-917-2856

TELEX: 414242 DHA CH

Flooding in the Bang Mot area south of Thonburi on the west side of the river. This is in the "safe zone", but the water started to rise around midnight and klongs are now overflowing some roads.

Center of this map:

http://maps.google.c...angkok&t=m&z=14

..... I am just a lazy old fart who doesn't want to be bothered and would rather have some "Cheap Labor" do it.

But you know, "you get what you pay for"?

I had the same "problem" recently. 45 sqm tiles had to be laid...

Asked around for a "competent" Somchai, but some had "fantasy prices (>150Bt/sqm)", or never rang back, or "no time", etc..pp...

Result: I did it myself...

Bought the tiles and adhesive on Suk, near junction to Highway 36, the grout at Homepro (43 Bt for one pack, enough for ~5sqm).

But I really, really agree, this is no work, I would do every week...

Good man you have still some life left in you .( unlike the OP }

I still have plenty of life left in me.. I just have other things I would rather do with my time. I grew up mowing and trimming 3 acres of lawn - NOW I HATE YARD-WORK... I had several rentals in the U.S. and did repairs as needed - NOW I DON'T WANT TO DO THEM..

As I said before, if you have someone to recommend, please let me know... If not... BUTT OUT.

I will say good luck with your tiles and I hope they don't fall down and hurt your sensitive feelings.

Now, shall we wake up and have a fresh cup of coffee? It sure smells good