48 Hours: Deadline Bangkok

[DocN]

This is great news. We went to Central Rama 2 to go shopping, actually spend some money there, BE CUSTOMERS. The problem, no truckin carparks as almost the whole car park was taken up with people leaving their cars there because of the floods.

This is absolutely crazy, can't go shopping now, what else is there to do in Bangkok?

While others were condemning The Mall for charging for parking overnight, at least shoppers could get a parking spot when they go shopping.

You are joking, right?! Otherwise this reminds very much of this:

a: "Oh my god....Central World is burning..."

b: "...ahm...90 people died and 1000s are injured"

a:"...."

...

a: " ...but Central World is burning!"

Maybe you should check your priorities!

[EvilDrSomkid]

I have a question:

My house is close to the Watcharaphon/Navamin area...what do you think the chances are of flooding in that area? Nobody here seems to have any clear idea whatsoever if we would be in a flooding zone or not, they all just say we have to wait and see. I have been using the flood maps and Google earth to try and track things, looking at distance and elevation, as well as klong locations, and I feel fairly confident it wouldn't reach to my area, but I guess, who knows? The government certainly doesn't.

tom, have you seen this google map? http://www.google.org/crisisresponse/thailand-flood-2011.html

Select check mark: bangkok risk area and flood barrier. I am in your neighbourhood. Ram Inthra km.8, next to the end of Nawamin.

Watcharaphon does not cross Nawamin, does it??

We should be fine for now, but on the eat side of the Kanchanipisek, it is more risky.

Edited October 18, 2011 by EvilDrSomkid

[jimbeam1]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

[berryranger]

There's certainly enough water about to do it!

Bangkok residents are advised to stay clam

when you tell people to use waterbags instead of sandbags, they will laugh at you and don't believe this will work.

but hey... Japan did this once with the flood and it was better than nothing i bet.

[h90]

I'm not sure why some of you are blaming the current government for EVERYTHING...they just stepped into power. Surely this was a problem before that, and I can't think of the previous government doing any better. I'm sure that they would be doing the same exact thing. I have seen the "Thai way" of approaching situations and it usually seems to be inaccurate in dealing with MOST MATTERS, not just this one. Just want to pretend everything is okay and fine when it isn't.

For sure this is a big deal and I don't think it's right for them to lie to us about what is going on or just say things to calm our worries when it isn't the truth. I just feel like that is the way things are done in this country and pointing the finger at just one person for the ways that most Thais think is stupid.

No almost any other government would make it better: Major mistakes:

1) Ignore the problem as long as possible

2) Lie and hope that the lies get true because of some wonder

3) Be to proud to admit that they have no clue and declare state of emergency in the effected areas.

I am sure at least the Democrats would have done Point 3.

[SAffer]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

That is unreasonable... is the governor not allowed to wear gum boots? Is he somehow less entitled than others? Is he not a local himself? This comment of yours as ridiculous to the extreme.

[Ianatlarge]

Just in case anyone is interested. The weather in Pattaya is near perfect. It is cool, gentle breeze, and light sun. Perfect to sit on the beach and sip a coconut.

[cheshiremusicman]

"The problem now is now bigger than before, please don't panic"

Well that must be the understatment of the year. Where do these buffoons get their ideas from. Firstly to be a problem bigger than before is he saying before he spoke yesterday, before last week or before he had his lobotomy ?

Secondly to make such statements, "please don't panic" guess what will happen ?

I suspect that so long as their own residences are not hit their primary concern even now is how the billions of aid and re-development that will be needed is going to get skimmed to this country's leaders friends and families businesses and associated cronies rather than spending it on a 50 year water management scheme that all of Thailand could benefit from, rich or poor!

In a televised solemn flood warning by Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Palibatra last night, Bangkok residents are advised to stay clam and keep monitoring the situation in the next 48 hours, when the next statement is possible if not flash flood.

'Everyone stay CLAM' . Does he mean just 'clam up and don't make any comments?'

Bangkok residents could in the meantime move their belongings to uipper floors or move up power sockets, he said. If not for this year, this might be useful in the future, who knows," he said. "Problem is now bigger than before, but please don’t panic."

I didn't realise that Bangkok residents now have the luxury of 'moveable electric sockets' - another Thailand first, truely Amazing Thailand! What a load of clowns, but the yellow wellies look great, very impressed.

[Buchholz]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

He's not wearing the vaunted plastic boots... they are different.

From the much-hyped 5,000 boots thread:

I assume these are form fitting and more akin to stockings than boots. Boots that will fill with water are the last thing you'd want to be wearing in a flood.

A look around the Science Ministry website reveals the boots seem to be as you assumed.

What was interesting was that the "inventor" himself...

Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi

apparently doesn't believe in them very much. Pictured below in red shirt in the same Ministry newsbrief

Edited October 18, 2011 by Buchholz

[jimbeam1]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

That is unreasonable... is the governor not allowed to wear gum boots? Is he somehow less entitled than others? Is he not a local himself? This comment of yours as ridiculous to the extreme.

What is unreasonable. Do you not believe that he should lead by example?

jb1

Edited October 18, 2011 by jimbeam1

[gl555]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

This crisis more then anything proved just how incompentant the present government is. You can't fight a natural disaster but just take a look at all the blunders that were made. More villages are underwater because of these idiots. Hang our heads in shame? Riiiiight...

[gl555]

I'm not sure why some of you are blaming the current government for EVERYTHING...they just stepped into power. Surely this was a problem before that, and I can't think of the previous government doing any better. I'm sure that they would be doing the same exact thing. I have seen the "Thai way" of approaching situations and it usually seems to be inaccurate in dealing with MOST MATTERS, not just this one. Just want to pretend everything is okay and fine when it isn't.

For sure this is a big deal and I don't think it's right for them to lie to us about what is going on or just say things to calm our worries when it isn't the truth. I just feel like that is the way things are done in this country and pointing the finger at just one person for the ways that most Thais think is stupid.

Oh yes, it's not their fault because they're new at the job! Where have we heard that before?

Could the government under Abhisit have done any better? Well see, they're not in the hot seat now are they? The fact is we have this government right here right now and they've proved just how useless they are during a crisis.

[tominbkk]

I have a question:

My house is close to the Watcharaphon/Navamin area...what do you think the chances are of flooding in that area? Nobody here seems to have any clear idea whatsoever if we would be in a flooding zone or not, they all just say we have to wait and see. I have been using the flood maps and Google earth to try and track things, looking at distance and elevation, as well as klong locations, and I feel fairly confident it wouldn't reach to my area, but I guess, who knows? The government certainly doesn't.

tom, have you seen this google map? http://www.google.or...flood-2011.html

Select check mark: bangkok risk area and flood barrier. I am in your neighbourhood. Ram Inthra km.8, next to the end of Nawamin.

Watcharaphon does not cross Nawamin, does it??

We should be fine for now, but on the eat side of the Kanchanipisek, it is more risky.

Thanks Evil, I actually live very close to you as well. As I suspected, I'm fairly certain that I'm quite well away from the flood threat, at least for the moment. It's funny, in my Moo Ban either people have set up sandbags and blocked themselves into their houses ( about 20%) or they have not done anything at all. I have made some small accommodations that would keep fairly low water levels from getting into my house, but if it got more than half a foot high I would be royally screwed.

You would think that this is all fairly scientific, and that they would know quite precisely where the water would flow by having knowledge of the canals, flow of the rivers, rainfall, and elevation. It just seems to me that nobody really can't predict anything, until it happens.

Again, thanks for the reassurance of my own thoughts. Hope everyone else is staying high and dry that can, and those that are wet can get dry soon.

Edited October 18, 2011 by tominbkk

[h90]

"The problem now is now bigger than before, please don't panic"

Well that must be the understatment of the year. Where do these buffoons get their ideas from. Firstly to be a problem bigger than before is he saying before he spoke yesterday, before last week or before he had his lobotomy ?

Secondly to make such statements, "please don't panic" guess what will happen ?

I suspect that so long as their own residences are not hit their primary concern even now is how the billions of aid and re-development that will be needed is going to get skimmed to this country's leaders friends and families businesses and associated cronies rather than spending it on a 50 year water management scheme that all of Thailand could benefit from, rich or poor!

In a televised solemn flood warning by Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Palibatra last night, Bangkok residents are advised to stay clam and keep monitoring the situation in the next 48 hours, when the next statement is possible if not flash flood.

'Everyone stay CLAM' . Does he mean just 'clam up and don't make any comments?'

Bangkok residents could in the meantime move their belongings to uipper floors or move up power sockets, he said. If not for this year, this might be useful in the future, who knows," he said. "Problem is now bigger than before, but please don’t panic."

I didn't realise that Bangkok residents now have the luxury of 'moveable electric sockets' - another Thailand first, truely Amazing Thailand! What a load of clowns, but the yellow wellies look great, very impressed.

we moved up all electric sockets. What is the problem with that?

Unscrew them and screw them in again somewhere higher. If you want it nice shorten the cables.

5-20 min per socket for someone without skills.

[SAffer]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

That is unreasonable... is the governor not allowed to wear gum boots? Is he somehow less entitled than others? Is he not a local himself? This comment of yours as ridiculous to the extreme.

What is unreasonable. Do you not believe that he should lead by example?

jb1

you mean no-one should wear boots?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

For sure this is a big deal and I don't think it's right for them to lie to us about what is going on or just say things to calm our worries when it isn't the truth. I just feel like that is the way things are done in this country and pointing the finger at just one person for the ways that most Thais think is stupid.

So you're making the argument that Thailand is incapable of producing a national government that's can effectively aid its people in the event of a natural disaster and effectively respond to and mitigate crises when they occur???

I wouldn't have thought that... But I must say, the current government is going a long way toward supporting that proposition.

[jimbeam1]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

That is unreasonable... is the governor not allowed to wear gum boots? Is he somehow less entitled than others? Is he not a local himself? This comment of yours as ridiculous to the extreme.

What is unreasonable. Do you not believe that he should lead by example?

jb1

you mean no-one should wear boots?

Personally I find them to big and clumsy?

jb1

[hyperdimension]

In a televised solemn flood warning by Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Palibatra last night, Bangkok residents are advised to stay clam and keep monitoring the situation in the next 48 hours, when the next statement is possible if not flash flood.

'Everyone stay CLAM' . Does he mean just 'clam up and don't make any comments?'

He means be calm like this giant clam underwater on a tropical reef:

[alstaxi]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

She is blamed for the mismanagement not for the natural disaster which would be far less monumental with some government which does not need to call in Dubai for every step they take.

That's why from the very beginning, they should have brought Thaksin back and install him in power. I bet a lot of people wished this was done instead of the petty bickering of the anti-T's.

Thaksin is in power, see how well its working, he is getting richer from all this mess, and will make a killing from all the aid, as for the people losing everything, he does not give a shit, power and money are all he cares about.

[Bakseedaa]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

This government are not to blame fr the rains, but certainly are to blame for the complete mis-handling of this crisis ... they knew the rains were coming, warning after warning... but , what did they do... organise a football match with Cambodia and ask Japan for a visa for the daddy Mafia man. Incompetent is far too mild a word for this lot of Buffoons... The rain in Spain.....................

[WarpSpeed]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

Nobody can blame Ms. Yingluck for the ' monumental natural disaster ' , BUT they can surely blame her for her and her government's handling or lack of handling it. I think that is what people are getting at.

Walk a mile in someone shoes is my opinion..

[EvilDrSomkid]

I have a question:

My house is close to the Watcharaphon/Navamin area...what do you think the chances are of flooding in that area? Nobody here seems to have any clear idea whatsoever if we would be in a flooding zone or not, they all just say we have to wait and see. I have been using the flood maps and Google earth to try and track things, looking at distance and elevation, as well as klong locations, and I feel fairly confident it wouldn't reach to my area, but I guess, who knows? The government certainly doesn't.

tom, have you seen this google map? http://www.google.or...flood-2011.html

Select check mark: bangkok risk area and flood barrier. I am in your neighbourhood. Ram Inthra km.8, next to the end of Nawamin.

Watcharaphon does not cross Nawamin, does it??

We should be fine for now, but on the eat side of the Kanchanipisek, it is more risky.

Thanks Evil, I actually live very close to you as well. As I suspected, I'm fairly certain that I'm quite well away from the flood threat, at least for the moment. It's funny, in my Moo Ban either people have set up sandbags and blocked themselves into their houses ( about 20%) or they have not done anything at all. I have made some small accommodations that would keep fairly low water levels from getting into my house, but if it got more than half a foot high I would be royally screwed.

You would think that this is all fairly scientific, and that they would know quite precisely where the water would flow by having knowledge of the canals, flow of the rivers, rainfall, and elevation. It just seems to me that nobody really can't predict anything, until it happens.

Again, thanks for the reassurance of my own thoughts. Hope everyone else is staying high and dry that can, and those that are wet can get dry soon.

You live on Khu Bon Rd by chance?

We put 3 layers of sand bags in front of the doors in the little car parking place. Our soi is lower than the main soi, so when it rains hard for a few hours it floods to 30cms or so. One time it almost came in to the house. If a car went through the soi the waves lapped at the door.

We have also moved a bunch of stuff upstairs.

My wife can't sleep at night because of the situation.

Edited October 18, 2011 by EvilDrSomkid

[webfact]

Wary Bangkok bolsters flood barriers

BANGKOK, October 18, 2011 (AFP) - Thai troops raced Tuesday to pile more than a million sandbags onto floodwalls on the edge of Bangkok due to renewed concern that the defences might not hold back the worst inundation in decades.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, facing the first major test of her two-month-old premiership, has expressed confidence that the low-lying capital will be spared from floods that have killed at least 315 people in the kingdom.

But the authorities have failed to protect a number of major industrial parks from the gushing brown water, and Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra warned that the threat to the capital was not yet past.

He said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) would raise the floodwalls in the northern outskirts of the city by half a metre (20 inches), using up to 1.2 million sandbags.

"BMA is expected to complete this task within 48 hours," Sukhumbhand said, adding that the central government had promised one million sandbags and residents were being urged to help produce more.

"Currently the risk to Bangkok depends on these temporary dykes," he warned.

Three months of heavy monsoon rains have damaged the homes and livelihoods of millions of people and forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in shelters.

Currently about one third of Thailand's provinces are affected by the floods, which reached several metres deep in places.

On Monday the authorities ordered the evacuation of the country's oldest industrial estate, Navanakorn, after water overwhelmed defences at the site, which houses more than 200 factories about 45 kilometres (30 miles) from Bangkok.

The authorities warned residents in the low-lying eastern outskirts of Bangkok that they might open sluice gates upriver in an attempt to save Navanakorn from being totally inundated.

"It's necessary to save places of economic significance while sacrificing less important areas," said Justice Minister Pracha Promnog, director of the government's flood relief centre.

The authorities say it is likely to be another month before the huge volume of water has flowed from the central plains into the sea.

The floods have disrupted production of cars, electronics and other goods in the kingdom, with factories and roads under water. The government estimates the disaster is likely to curb 2011 economic growth by 1.0-1.7 percentage points.

Most of Thailand main tourist attractions -- including the southern islands of Samui, Phi Phi and Phuket -- have been unaffected and Bangkok's main airport, Suvarnabhumi, is operating as usual.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-10-18

[Bkkorupcountry]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

This government are not to blame fr the rains, but certainly are to blame for the complete mis-handling of this crisis ... they knew the rains were coming, warning after warning... but , what did they do... organise a football match with Cambodia and ask Japan for a visa for the daddy Mafia man. Incompetent is far too mild a word for this lot of Buffoons... The rain in Spain.....................

Aussie government - complete mis-handling of the recent floods and almost every year of bush fires

Japanese government - complete mis-handling of the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis

Most European governments - complete mis-handling of financial issues

British government - complete mis-handling of recent riots and every time it snows (wrong kind of snow) and every autumn (wrong kind of leaves on train tracks)

American government - complete mis-handling of ....... everything.

I reckon the Thai government is not doing too badly after all. Glad I'm here.

[a99az]

One word, MISMANAGEMENT. The current government should be removed because of its inadequacies, lies and deceptions toward the Thai public. I feel so sad for the people here they don't have the best of lives to start with, made all the worst by their choice of government.

The very same government chosen by the same people, they must be happy with the choice.

[Buchholz]

Notice who is wearing the new plastic boots, that were supposed to be distributed to the local folk?

jb1

That is unreasonable... is the governor not allowed to wear gum boots? Is he somehow less entitled than others? Is he not a local himself? This comment of yours as ridiculous to the extreme.

What is unreasonable. Do you not believe that he should lead by example?

jb1

Unreasonable is saying he was wearing Plodprasop's new invention... when he wasn't.

[OzMick]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

You should write a letter to the BKK Post. They have an opinion piece published today laying it all right at her door.

"Madam Prime Minister - it's not the disaster, it's how your government has (not) reacted very well. "

Or is it only farangs that have no right to criticize incompetence?

[WarpSpeed]

"The problem now is now bigger than before, please don't panic"

Well that must be the understatment of the year. Where do these buffoons get their ideas from. Firstly to be a problem bigger than before is he saying before he spoke yesterday, before last week or before he had his lobotomy ?

Secondly to make such statements, "please don't panic" guess what will happen ?

I suspect that so long as their own residences are not hit their primary concern even now is how the billions of aid and re-development that will be needed is going to get skimmed to this country's leaders friends and families businesses and associated cronies rather than spending it on a 50 year water management scheme that all of Thailand could benefit from, rich or poor!

In a televised solemn flood warning by Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Palibatra last night, Bangkok residents are advised to stay clam and keep monitoring the situation in the next 48 hours, when the next statement is possible if not flash flood.

'Everyone stay CLAM' . Does he mean just 'clam up and don't make any comments?'

Bangkok residents could in the meantime move their belongings to uipper floors or move up power sockets, he said. If not for this year, this might be useful in the future, who knows," he said. "Problem is now bigger than before, but please don’t panic."

I didn't realise that Bangkok residents now have the luxury of 'moveable electric sockets' - another Thailand first, truely Amazing Thailand! What a load of clowns, but the yellow wellies look great, very impressed.

we moved up all electric sockets. What is the problem with that?

Unscrew them and screw them in again somewhere higher. If you want it nice shorten the cables.

5-20 min per socket for someone without skills.

Yes more deaths by electrocution, if people understood that well, what they were doing then they'd never get electrocuted in the first place and that's been the primary reason for so many deaths so far.. You're also generalizing about every house having the same sort of installation that you have, some more professional installations run the wires in the walls so no way to raise them.

We also have wall paper they run under so moving them up just as a precaution is going to ruin the wall paper, a small thing in the larger scope of things but still one to consider..

Here in my house the entire breaker panel is downstairs and that never bothered me until now it is about 2 meters from the floor and that may not be enough but still if there's water of any amount in my house I'd much rather not be touching ANYTHING electrical in the house and I'm fully qualified to do so, which is WHY I see the inherent danger in such a suggestion.. Not having the outlets properly isolated on specific breakers is another problem altogether..

[robblok]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

This government are not to blame fr the rains, but certainly are to blame for the complete mis-handling of this crisis ... they knew the rains were coming, warning after warning... but , what did they do... organise a football match with Cambodia and ask Japan for a visa for the daddy Mafia man. Incompetent is far too mild a word for this lot of Buffoons... The rain in Spain.....................

Aussie government - complete mis-handling of the recent floods and almost every year of bush fires

Japanese government - complete mis-handling of the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis

Most European governments - complete mis-handling of financial issues

British government - complete mis-handling of recent riots and every time it snows (wrong kind of snow) and every autumn (wrong kind of leaves on train tracks)

American government - complete mis-handling of ....... everything.

I reckon the Thai government is not doing too badly after all. Glad I'm here.

So because someone else made a mistake you cant comment on these faults / incompetency ?

Strange reasoning.

"Like children say ..but mom he did it too"

[MaxYakov]

Some of the comments on this thread are quite frankly , disgusting.Blaming the Leader for a monumental natural disaster is a new low for those trying to discredit the new PM and her government.

Hang your heads in shame!!!

This government are not to blame fr the rains, but certainly are to blame for the complete mis-handling of this crisis ... they knew the rains were coming, warning after warning... but , what did they do... organise a football match with Cambodia and ask Japan for a visa for the daddy Mafia man. Incompetent is far too mild a word for this lot of Buffoons... The rain in Spain.....................

Aussie government - complete mis-handling of the recent floods and almost every year of bush fires

Japanese government - complete mis-handling of the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis

Most European governments - complete mis-handling of financial issues

British government - complete mis-handling of recent riots and every time it snows (wrong kind of snow) and every autumn (wrong kind of leaves on train tracks)

American government - complete mis-handling of ....... everything.

I reckon the Thai government is not doing too badly after all. Glad I'm here.

Good points, all. Apparently, you are not now in a location (upcountry?) to give us an exciting, local flood report?