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17 August 2001 By Rohan Kay in Bangkok The situation in northern and north-eastern Thailand where floods and landslides this week have left 147 people and another nine missing, is expected to worsen with weather forecasters predicting more rain. Thai Red Cross volunteers have been working overtime providing vital supplies to 5,000 grief-stricken families – survivors of last weekend's floods in Petchabun and Udorn Thani provinces in the north and north-east of the country. Flood waters bloated with mud and tree trunks, roared through several villages in the Lomsak district of Phetchabun province, 180 miles north of Bangkok, in the early hours of August 11. The flash flood was triggered by heavy rains from Typhoon Usagi rushing down nearby mountain sides. Rescue workers from the army and several agencies, searched for anyone trapped in the mud and debris. "It was a real catastrophe. Almost an entire community was wiped out. The survivors are stunned, grief-stricken and helpless. Luckily they are being taken care of quickly by their neighbouring communities and the response by the authorities has been quick and effective," said Dr. Tanit Vajrbukka, deputy director of the Thai Red Cross' Relief and Community Health Bureau. The Thai Red Cross sent a relief team consisting of doctors, nurses and volunteers to provide medical assistance to survivors from its Relief and Community Health Bureau and from its chapter in Phetchabun. Additional help came in the form of relief items such as canned food, mosquito nets, clothes, plastic sheeting, drinking water, candles and matches and 3,000 packets of household medicines. Survivors of floods in five villages in the north-east province of Udorn Thani, hit by the same heavy rains as in Phetchabun, were also provided with food items by the Thai Red Cross, helped by 100 Royal Thai Army soldiers. Dr. Kornkiat Snidvongs, deputy head of the Thai Red Cross' relief section for Udorn Thani, said 15 of the province's 16 districts had been submerged. In the provincial capital, Udorn Thani, water levels had risen to one metre on August 14 while outside the city, it hovered at around 3.5 metres. "People I have talked to in Udorn Thani province say the flooding is the worst they have ever seen. People are starving in their houses but they cannot get out. Transportation of Red Cross supplies is difficult. We are using high-wheel army trucks and flat-bottom boats to provide flood casualties with food and water," he added. Medical instruments at most Udorn Thani hospitals had been damaged by the floods, with only one military hospital left unaffected to which flood survivors were being sent for treatment. Related links More news and report from Thailand Volunteering Make a donation |
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