Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2006/0081
OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Thailand - Floods
This situation report is based on the information received from OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok and media reports.
Situation
1. Days of incessant rain triggered severe flash floods and landslides, which struck early morning of 23 May, damaging roads, railways and power lines. More rain is forecast. Heavy rains that started on 21 May caused rivers and reservoirs to overflow in the Northern part of Thailand.
2. According to the Department for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), a total of 357 villages in five Provinces of Nan, Phrae, Lamphang, Uttaradit and Sukhothai have been affected by the flash floods since 22 May. Water levels have receded in three provinces (Phrae, Lampang and Nan). In Uttaradit Province, 3 districts are still badly affected.
3. Losses and Casualties are :
- 30 persons reported dead (22 in Uttaradit, 7 in Sukhothai, 1 in Phrae)
- 75 missing
- A total of 103,355 persons have been affected (34,100 families)
- 1,240 persons have been evacuated so far
- 80 roads and 28 bridges have been damaged
National Response
4. The King has instructed the Army, the Navy and the Air Forces to urgently cooperate with other government agencies in assisting the affected people. The three branches of the Armed Forces have promptly taken actions accordingly. The Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary issued a statement on 24 May expressing their Majesties' deep concern for the people, who are affected by the flash flood in several areas in the lower North. The Prime Minister went to visit and oversee disaster response operations in 3 affected provinces on 24 May.
5. The national Search and Rescue teams working in the affected areas are finding it difficult to access some of the remote areas. This also makes it difficult to transport heavy equipment into the areas for search and rescue. Thailand's Public Health Ministry dispatched more than 30 mobile medical teams on 24 May to provide emergency medical assistance for affected people. The Ministry also sent over 10,000 sets of common household pharmaceuticals to hospitals in the flood-stricken provinces and held in reserve an additional 500,000 sets for possible further need. Chemical solutions and medical equipment for handling corpses were also sent to the affected areas where people died.
6. The DDPM has mobilized all of its units, staff and equipment such as mobile generator, water pumps, sand bags, transport trucks, communication vehicles and others to support rescue and relief operations. The DDPM has also provided emergency relief items such as clothing, shoes, blankets, dry food, water and medicine to the victims. The response teams comprise:
- 185 staff from DDPM
- 25 staff of Rural Highway Department
- 80 staff from order Patrol Police
- 170 members of Territorial Protection Unit
- 1,572 staff and volunteers from relief/rescue NGOs and foundations
7. The Government has not requested international assistance to date.
8. OCHA is in close contact with its Regional Office in Bangkok and will revert with further information as it becomes available. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.
MAP: Thailand: Floods - Situation map
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- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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