Thai capital Bangkok declared disaster zone amid widespread flooding

Patipat Janthong/Reuters

Bangkok’s governor on Saturday declared Thailand’s capital city a disaster-affected zone after torrential rain led to widespread flooding, while the weather agency forecast thunderstorms ​over the weekend.

Major roads were flooded with cars partly submerged and ​people were forced to wade through waist-height water after nearly ⁠300mm (12 inches) of rain fell within 48 hours.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart ​Sittipunt said the crisis “poses a risk to people’s lives” and could damage ​public and private property, and that the situation was most severe near canals.

The army said it is setting up shelters and field kitchens among other disaster relief efforts, ​while the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has designated schools as temporary accommodation ​and asked residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

Supermarkets were crowded with people stocking up on ‌supplies.

“I’m ⁠worried too, because I haven’t stocked up on food beforehand, and I’ve never faced this kind of situation alone before, since my parents aren’t with me,” said 19-year-old Sansuk Laowatcharakul.

The government on Saturday issued an emergency ​advisory for people living ​near canals ⁠to move possessions to higher ground.

Before the warning, “I wasn’t aware enough to consider relocating,” said Bangkok resident Suppakarn ​Julavijitphong as he carried luggage from a condo surrounded ​by floodwater.

The ⁠city’s main airport, Suvarnabhumi, was operating normally though the tourism authority advised travellers to allow an extra two to three hours in their plans.

Thailand experienced ⁠its worst ​floods in decades in November when at ​least 145 people died and thousands of homes were damaged in the southern provinces.

帕蒂帕特·詹通/路透社

曼谷市长周六宣布，由于暴雨导致大范围洪水，泰国首都曼谷成为灾区，而气象部门预测周末将有雷暴天气。

48 小时内降雨量近 300 毫米（12 英寸），导致主要道路被淹，汽车部分被淹没，人们被迫趟过齐腰深的积水。

曼谷市长查查特·西提蓬表示，这场危机“对人民的生命构成威胁”，可能会破坏公共和私人财产，而且运河附近的情况最为严重。

军方表示，他们正在设立避难所和野战厨房等救灾措施，而曼谷市政府已将学校指定为临时住所，并要求居民避免不必要的出行。

超市里挤满了抢购物资的人们。

“我也很担心，因为我事先没有储备食物，而且因为我的父母不在我身边，我以前从未独自面对过这种情况，”19岁的桑苏克·劳瓦查拉库尔说道。

政府周六发布紧急通知，要求居住在运河附近的人们将财物转移到地势较高的地方。

“在收到警告之前，我并没有意识到需要搬迁，”曼谷居民 Suppakarn Julavijitphong 一边从被洪水包围的公寓里搬出行李一边说道。

该市的主要机场素万那普机场正常运营，但旅游部门建议旅客在行程安排中预留两到三个小时。

11 月，泰国遭遇数十年来最严重的洪灾，南部各省至少 145 人死亡，数千所房屋受损。