How Are Flood Victims Dying?

[silverhawk_usa]

Every few days there are media reports showing an increasing number of flood deaths. Obviously this is alarming both locally and internationally. These are no longer flash floods, and in most cases not very deep. How are people dying? I have read a few reports of electrocution, but not much else. What are they including in these numbers ? More importantly how do you prevent whatever the cause?

[Semper]

How Are Flood Victims Dying?

By drowning ?

[bkkjames]

Let's see: quite a few drowned I imagine and not all bodies discovered right away. Electrocution many more. Add in snake bites, water borne disease like lepto etc and you can get to 500 pretty quick.

[Kwasaki]

There is still quite a tidal force in some areas and the flood covers a wide area.

Electrocution will always claim some, sickness and elderly will run numbers up quickly, drowning of course literally because many cannot swim.

There are still many area in 1.5M to 2m deep in places.

Prevention :- well you cannot stop nature you have to work with it, digging large waterways where required from north to south like the King suggested 10 years ago would of be good but the power that be didn't listen very carefully did they.

[phaethon]

When the toll was around 250-300 I saw a report that about 50 of those were attributed to electrocution.

[phomsanuk]

I would imagine older people would die of stress.

[DP25]

Maybe some people who died from normal causes within the flood zone are counted as flood deaths

Edited November 8, 2011 by DP25

[Thongkorn]

Hypothermia is a big cause, along with the stress for older people. no proper diet, and Many older people live alone.

[silverhawk_usa]

The last few replies are more of what I was getting at. Are they including what could otherwise be termed natural causes if the flood waters weren't present. I could also make guesses like "drowned", "snake bites", etc. I really wonder how many have been bitten and/or died from snake bites. I doubt many.

Usually, the media reports individual incidents, such as "two bodies found in canal" or some such thing. I am not trying to be morbid, I just wonder if the situation isn't looking worse and scaring more people by reporting deaths to be from the flood which would actually be natural causes otherwise.

[ludditeman]

Thais are generally not good swimmers.

Adults fishing & children swimming drown fairly easily (75%).

I don't think anyone has died from snake-bit.

The rest are electrocution (20%)

[bkkjames]

Not true_seen at least 3 stories on thai news of people dying from snake bites so probably quite a few more.

Inflating the numbers-why? What purpose would that serve the government?

[Jingthing]

I think it is very obvious that the death toll numbers are reported low rather than high. For example, someone who dies of an asthma attack which was aggravated by stress and difficulty getting to medical care, do you really think they are counting that as a flood death?

[MJCM]

People are dying because of it, so why ask how they are dying

Edited November 8, 2011 by MJCM

[richard_smith237]

People are dying because of it, so why ask how they are dying

Why as why as how ?... perhaps because he's interested. Perhaps because knowing how educates us, perhaps there are some causes we are not yet aware of. And most of all, perhaps when the waterborne diseases start to spread we'd all want to know how and take more significant and necessary avoiding action.

I opened this thread to specifically find out why: Of course the usual Idiot's gave their smart arse replies (it's really beginning to get easy to predict who is going to give a retarded and inane reply).

For me it helps me place into perspective the risks of going into certain flooded area's (if I was going to do that).

i.e.

Drowning in fast flowing water.

Drowning in still water (poor swimmers).

Snake bites

Electrocution (I read the same report as another poster when the death toll was at about 350 with 50 attributed to snake bites).

The ill unable to get to hospital for medical care.

Cold / Hypothermia.

Luckily no news yet of disease and infections taking lives.

[MJCM]

Sorry that you feel that way, but that's my opinion and if you don't like my postings please do ignore me

[Seismic]

I think its a valid question,

In some areas the water has been flowing very fast, especially after poorly concieved barriers have breached, this is probably a cause of many drowning deaths. If you have a look at my new house and the complete abortion that is the wiring, you would probably thnk most were from electrocution, the numbers of thais who die here without flooding due to this are pretty alarming anyway. Some body parts have been found suggesting the "escaped" crocs got to them, but no hard evidence. Snakes, well quite possibly many who were thought to have drowned may have been bitten initially.

In the end, and, considering that Thailand floods regularly, over 500 deaths is rather alarming.

[Scott]

I would think some people died because they couldn't get medication that was needed, such as insulin. Others may have died because they couldn't get to medical treatment for conditions related to flooding.

Early on, there were a number of deaths caused by mudslides. I would assume there were also accidents, such as things falling on people when it first started in the north.

[bkkjames]

'No news about flood related disease deaths'? Are you sure, several have been reported (lepto_the rat shit one) in both english and thai media.

So instead of slagging off posters for contradicting your pre-conceived (albeit wrong) opinions, why not spend a little more time looking for the news yourself-it's right there for all to see.

[DP25]

I think it is very obvious that the death toll numbers are reported low rather than high. For example, someone who dies of an asthma attack which was aggravated by stress and difficulty getting to medical care, do you really think they are counting that as a flood death?

Yeah, I do. If they collect a body I think they're more likely to count it no matter what and not look into it too much, rather than sit around discussing whether it was really the flood or not. They'd count everything. The flood toll is low for now because there are going to be dead people they won't find until the flood is over and the cleanup begins. There are surely some people in their homes that wont be found for weeks.

[PattaniMan]

People are dying because of it, so why ask how they are dying

I opened this thread to specifically find out why: Of course the usual Idiot's gave their smart arse replies (it's really beginning to get easy to predict who is going to give a retarded and inane reply).

I've googled this but have found no detailed or meaningful stats.

My guess is that the victims are predominantly young children and the elderly. My guess is that most of them pass away as a result of drowning; waterborne diseases; and pre-existing diseases made worse due to malnutrition and/or insufficient medical supplies. I imagine too that many elderly victims die because of stress.

But -- of course -- I may be completely wrong.

Does a figure of 10% for death by electrocution sound realistic?

I doubt that snake bites account for many deaths.

If anyone has links to any sort of statistical data, please post them.

Edited November 9, 2011 by PattaniMan

[geriatrickid]

I think it is very obvious that the death toll numbers are reported low rather than high. For example, someone who dies of an asthma attack which was aggravated by stress and difficulty getting to medical care, do you really think they are counting that as a flood death?

Indirectly, yes. It happens.

[bkkjames]

People are dying because of it, so why ask how they are dying

I opened this thread to specifically find out why: Of course the usual Idiot's gave their smart arse replies (it's really beginning to get easy to predict who is going to give a retarded and inane reply).

I've googled this but have found no detailed or meaningful stats.

My guess is that the victims are predominantly young children and the elderly. My guess is that most of them pass away as a result of drowning; waterborne diseases; and pre-existing diseases made worse due to malnutrition and/or insufficient medical supplies. I imagine too that many elderly victims die because of stress.

But -- of course -- I may be completely wrong.

Does a figure of 10% for death by electrocution sound realistic?

I doubt that snake bites account for many deaths.

If anyone has links to any sort of statistical data, please post them.

a 30 second google provided this spreadsheet.. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anpw5EtaTvWjdDF5dVNsVVE3Y1BGZWx6TEdoalpfX1E#gid=0

[PattaniMan]

google provided this spreadsheet.. https://docs.google....doalpfX1E#gid=0

Excellent!

466 people have drowned (including a couple of 2 year-old children and a 1 year-old child).

33 people have been electrocuted.

And only 1 person has died from a snake bite.

Also .......... 2 have been killed by lightning (???).

Good luck to all of you in flood-affected areas. Stay safe.

[bkkjames]

google provided this spreadsheet.. https://docs.google....doalpfX1E#gid=0

Excellent!

466 people have drowned (including a couple of 2 year-old children and a 1 year-old child).

33 people have been electrocuted.

And only 1 person has died from a snake bite.

Also .......... 2 have been killed by lightning (???).

Good luck to all of you in flood-affected areas. Stay safe.

Like everything, I think that spreadsheet needs to be updated - do they do autopsy's here to confirm. Anyways, it's a pretty good (albeit morbid) snapshot.

Also, I saw on the news (news update section on here I believe saying two people died from water borne lepto thingy but not in this spreadsheet?)

[richard_smith237]

Sorry that you feel that way, but that's my opinion and if you don't like my postings please do ignore me

MJCM - Although I responded directly to your 'why ask how' comment, my response and attack on the 'predictable idiots' was not aimed at you. Apologies for not being clearer with my response....

The predicable idiots who always reply with the inane and idiotic responses know who they are and I'm sure so do many of the other forum members.

(Edit) for some reason the K's are not typing out !

BKK James: My rant was against those posters who offer nothing to a subject such as this and reply with stupid comments...

Contrary to your response, I 'slagged' off the other posters not for contradicting my opinions, but for not offering anything productive to this thread - sometimes I simply loose patience with the 'usual suspects'...

That said, I am now outside of Thailand and I have not seen any easily accessible news on the flood other than mainstream which really doesn't go into much detail.

TV is one source which appears better positioned to provide some pretty decent information - As you have done.

Edited November 9, 2011 by richard_smith237

[silverhawk_usa]

People are dying because of it, so why ask how they are dying

I opened this thread to specifically find out why: Of course the usual Idiot's gave their smart arse replies (it's really beginning to get easy to predict who is going to give a retarded and inane reply).

I've googled this but have found no detailed or meaningful stats.

My guess is that the victims are predominantly young children and the elderly. My guess is that most of them pass away as a result of drowning; waterborne diseases; and pre-existing diseases made worse due to malnutrition and/or insufficient medical supplies. I imagine too that many elderly victims die because of stress.

But -- of course -- I may be completely wrong.

Does a figure of 10% for death by electrocution sound realistic?

I doubt that snake bites account for many deaths.

If anyone has links to any sort of statistical data, please post them.

a 30 second google provided this spreadsheet.. https://docs.google....doalpfX1E#gid=0

Thanks. Even if not totally up to date, the spreadsheet contains some interesting information. I believe in facts, and knowing "how" seems important for one's own safety, and to dispel inflated rumours of many snake bites, eaten by croc, etc.

In my country they have a habit of including snow storm deaths of people who have heart attacks shoveling snow, or falling off the roof clearing the snow. They are storm related, and the storm is a contributing factor, but if the guy had a heart attack mowing his grass it would be listed as natural causes.

Knowing the actual causation may make someone take the danger a little more seriously and they will use more caution (eg. electrocution). I never insinuated inflated fugures, or under reporting. I just like "facts". Thanks for the comments to my OP.

[PingManDan]

Depressive suicides are up, accounts for some of the deaths , depression is a major problem here in Thailand.

[Ricardo]

I suspect it's the escaped crocodiles ...