Thailand is considering evacuation of residents from ten provinces

Residents in ten Central Plains provinces, including the hard-hit province of Ayutthaya, must prepare for evacuation.

The authorities in those provinces decide when necessary. The city island of Ayutthaya was hit hard on Sunday because the water broke through the flood walls in several places.

The ten provinces are Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Chai Nat, Chachoengsao, Lop Buri, Nakhon Sawan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Sing Buri and Uthai Thani.

Ayutthaya Provincial Hospital, which had previously cleared the ground floor, had to evacuate all patients. About 300 of the 600 patients have been transferred to the town hall. Patients in the intensive care unit were flown in helicopters to hospitals in Bangkok. At least this is the version of Bangkok Post.

The other English-language newspaper The Nation writes that the evacuation will take another 2 days. The hospital has 320 patients, 100 of whom have been transferred to hospitals in Saraburi and Pathum Thani. The water around the hospital is 2,2 meters high. Electricity is supplied by a generator.

One part of the Rojana industrial estate, the so-called Phase 1 area, is under water after a quay broke through on Saturday and workers failed to close the hole. The water is about 1 meter high. The other two parts of the industrial estate, the so-called Phase 2 and Phase 3 area, are still dry.

Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi (Science and Technology) admitted yesterday that the National Flood Relief Centre, operational at Don Mueang airport since Saturday, had misjudged the severity of the flooding. 'There could be a miscalculation in terms of the amount of water. There could be more floodwater than estimated.'

Even more news:

• Thirty counties have been affected by the water; 261 people have died and four people are missing.
• The army is taking over the protection of Ayutthaya, Lop Buri and Nakhon Sawan provinces. In the remaining flooded provinces, the governor is responsible in conjunction with local police commanders, 191 police radio centers and the Royal ภาษาไทย Police.
• Prime Minister Yingluck expects the water level in the Chao Praya to peak on Wednesday and Thursday. The flow rate in Nakhon Sawan province will then be 4.800 to 4.900 cubic meters per second. As a result, the river will be an average of 20 cm higher than normal for a week.
• The army has been ordered to make its barracks available for evacuees from Saraburi province. Private companies have been asked to provide space for the victims from Ayutthaya. Residents will soon be evacuated. According to The Nation, almost all residents of the flooded areas in Ayutthaya have left.
• In the district of Muang (Ayutthaya), the water is more than 2 meters high.
• A sports hall of Thammasat University on its campus in Rangsit is available as an emergency shelter. 1000 people can go.
• Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn instructed Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya University on Sunday to set up building 6 as an emergency shelter. The province of Ayutthaya uses shuttle buses.
• Ayutthaya is no longer accessible by road, not even with military trucks. The authorities are considering transporting emergency aid and people by boat.
• The Crown Prince and his Royal Consort (wife) have provided mobile kitchens. They are located at the Ayutthaya town hall.
• Spokesman Prompong Nopparit (Pheu Thai) proposes that the members of parliament donate part of their compensation for the benefit of the victims. The leader of coalition party Chart Pattana Puea Pandin thinks it's a good idea.
• The government is not doing enough to combat the floods, according to a majority of respondents in two polls. In a third poll, on the other hand, they were positive.
• Good news from Tak: the inflow of water into the Bhumibol reservoir was considerably less on Sunday than in the previous four days. The outflow can therefore also be reduced, so that less water flows into the already flooded provinces.
• Almost the entire province of Nakhon Sawan is under water. The situation is critical as the water level continues to rise.
• In Ang Thong province, the Chalerm Phrakiat Pavillion has reopened as a central evacuation center. The two-storey building was built 5 years ago for that purpose. It can accommodate 1.000 people.
• 66 neighborhoods in Rangsit Municipality district met yesterday to discuss plans to prevent flooding. They agreed to add an SMS alert to the council's warning system.
• Residents at the Chulalongkorn weir in tambon Prachathipat have built a sandbag embankment to prevent flooding of the Rangsit channel.
• Schools and a department store in Rangsit have been designated as evacuation centers.
• In Nonthaburi, the Chao Praya River overflowed slightly in the Pak Kret, Bang Bua Thong and Sai Noi districts. There are no reports of levee breaches, says Governor Wichian Phutthiwinyu.
• Residents complain about the inflated prices of life jackets, rowing boats, canned food, dried food and other necessities of life. The price of a plastic or fiberglass boat has more than doubled to 10.000 baht due to high demand in flooded areas. Department of Commerce personnel are investigating the complaints in the flooded areas.
• The Commerce Department is to release 100.000 to 200.000 tons of rice from government stockpiles due to food shortages in flooded areas. The rice will be sold in bags of 5 kilos under the Ministry's Blue Flag brand for the next two weeks.
• The Commerce Department has warned rice packers not to withhold supplies. Violation is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 7 years and/or a fine of 140.000 baht.

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