Glide Number: FL-2022-000333-THA
Description of the Event
What happened, where and when?
The monsoon weather that prevailed over the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand, including Typhoon NORU, which struck Thailand on 28 September 2022, brought heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds. This has resulted in flooding in over 25 Thai provinces as of 11 October 2022.
Since the beginning of the 2022 monsoon season, flash floods, floods, and overflowing riverbanks accumulated human suffering, primarily in rural areas. Much of the flooding was exacerbated by the overuse of major dams, which resulted in the rapid release of water upstream and a rise in river levels downstream.
The situation deteriorated on 6 October 2022, a week after NORU struck Thailand and brought heavy rainfall.
Northeastern and southern provinces were particularly affected.
The Thai Meteorological Department issued a weather alert on 11 October 2022, informing that the situation was unlikely to improve, as the moderate high-pressure system could continue to bring unstable weather to the northeast.
The "monsoon trough" was also caused heavy to very heavy rainfall in the south. As a result of flooding in the neighboring province of Nonthaburi, residents of Bangkok who reside near rivers were also advised to move their belongings to higher ground.
The following pictures depict critical assistance provided by the Thai Red Cross (TRCS) across the country, to people affected by the massive floods (Photo: TRCS)
Scope and Scale
In comparison with past data, the total rainfall recorded since the start of 2022 was on par with the last time Thailand went through severe, widespread flooding in 2011. The rain continued until December. Heavy rain in Southern provinces caused flash floods in nine provinces. The flood situation in several provinces slowly improved and returned to normal situation in January 2023.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) report on 11 October 2022, flooding occurred in 25 provinces (132 districts, 711 sub-districts, and 4,377 villages), with a total of approximately 156,240 households (485,906 people) affected, four deaths and two injuries reported.
It was also reported that in the northern areas, such as Ubon Ratchathani province, more than 13,135 people were evacuated to 74 shelters after the Moon River (also known as Mun) overflowed and overwhelmed more than 1,000 villages. Further south, 5,740 households close to the Chao Phraya River were affected by floods in Nakhon Sawan Province. Additionally, flooding from the overflowing Chao Phraya River in Phrom Buri district, in the eastern part of Sing Buri province, affected about 2,620 households.
In neighboring Lopburi Province, as many as 15,567 households were affected by floods, and approximately 500 people were displaced in the province.
The damages and sectoral needs are further described under the section on needs assessment.