Bangkok’s governor declared Thailand’s capital a disaster-affected zone on Saturday after three consecutive days of torrential rain triggered widespread flooding, submerging roads, disrupting transport and forcing residents to evacuate homes and businesses.
Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said nearly 300 millimeters of rain, roughly 12 inches, had fallen across the city since Thursday afternoon, with accumulated rainfall in major canals exceeding 20 centimeters. He said the situation posed a risk to public safety and property, with the eastern districts of the city hit hardest, and warned that additional rain was forecast through the weekend. The disaster designation covers all 50 of Bangkok’s districts and grants local authorities expanded powers to coordinate relief efforts.
Major thoroughfares were left partially submerged, with vehicles abandoned in floodwater and residents wading through waist-high water in some neighborhoods. Bangkok’s public transit authority offered free parking at MRT train stations for residents seeking to move vehicles to higher ground, an accommodation set to remain in place until October 2. The city has opened more than 200 emergency shelters, with roughly 900 people relocated into them as of Saturday, and designated local schools as temporary housing for displaced residents.
Nationally, officials said more than 84,000 people across 21 provinces, concentrated mainly in central Thailand, had been affected by the flooding. Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of continued low pressure across the eastern, northeastern and central regions of the country through Sunday, citing an ongoing risk of further flooding.
The army has begun establishing additional shelters and field kitchens as part of the broader disaster response. Bangkok’s main international airport, Suvarnabhumi, continued operating normally, though the country’s tourism authority advised travelers to allow two to three additional hours to reach the airport given disrupted road conditions.
Several longtime residents told reporters the flooding appeared more severe than the widespread 2011 floods, which killed more than 500 people nationwide and caused extensive property damage. Chadchart said conditions should begin to improve once rainfall subsides, with city crews working to drain standing water as quickly as possible.
