Thailand Floods

That Dirty Water.

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Adventure of the Day: There will be Flood.

There's this little story that's been whispered around Thailand recently. You may not have heard about it, but the teeniest bit of water is coming towards Bangkok. It's not like it's been practically the only story covered by the Bangkok Post or anything.

In all seriousness, the months-long flooding has devastated the north, affected over 2 million people, and killed more than 300. Ohio's got lions and tigers and bears, but at least they didn't have crocs swimming through the water killing people. And as Bangkok straddles the very river most of the floodwaters are following out to sea — the Chao Phraya — the city has been busy battening down as many of its millions and billions of hatches as possible.

A very well fortified store on Sukhumvit.

And I'm right in the middle of it. You can feel the tension in the air of the city. I don't know Bangkok well, but even I can tell it's a bit too quiet out on the streets. Many businesses had already started constructing sandbag barriers at their doors a week ago; many are building nearly meter-high concrete walls on on the sidewalk just outside their doors.

There hasn't been any flooding on my street (Sukhumvit Soi 1) or on Sukhumvit, the main road we're off of, yet. I don't if/when/where/how the waters will hit. I've mentally/logistically prepared as much as I can, given the uncertainty. If I prep for 4 feet of water, there'll probably only be a trickle here. If I'm sure there'll be nothing, we're likely to get hit big-time. It's the hurry-up-and-waiting that's getting to me.

In any case, I'm staying. Though the start of the school term has been pushed back indefinitely, I've got the job and bed at the hostel two stories up — definitely above the potential flood zone. The 7-Eleven's are devoid of food but there's the food stalls and outside and plenty of water at the hostel's bar. 

Photo by someone else, courtesy of a Google search.

And I know I've got it so much better than the millions whose homes are uninhabitable and who have lost their jobs. I feel that leaving now would be practically equivalent to abandoning Bangkok, Thailand, and the people in their time of need. The country needs people to keep spending money, investing in the economy, and just be there to lend a hand. Who knows — maybe that's the reason providence/fate/God brought me here.

I hope the flood comes safely, but soon. Because the sooner the waters drain out into the Gulf, the sooner Thailand can begin its recovery. Please look through some of the slideshows over at the Bangkok Post site. With so much focus on the capital, the north — while getting relief — isn't getting as many headlines, and those areas have been affected the longest. And this set (from the Denver Post of all places) is a particularly stunning, in a devastating way.

And if you're interested in helping, check out the Thai Red Cross website. Even if you can't donate from America, it's nice comforting to see that 180 million baht (and counting) has been given at this time of colossal need.