Bangkok Flooding

[SiamSam]

I am currently booked to travel to Bangkok on November 30 arriving on December 01. I fly into Swampy and then was planning to drive to Hua Hin.

Can anyone give me any flooding intel as to what the long term (next 35 days) outlook is for Bangkok and the road that go to Hua Hin? Should I postpone?

Thanks

[beijo]

SiamSam - what I hear from Bangkok News and what was confirmed 2 hours ago by my friend in BKK is the following. Nobody is sure if central BKK will be flooded or not, the next 6 days will be critical. The flood run-off will be slowed by the expected high tides which will result in higher water levels in the Cha Phraya river. Expected river levels are exceeding the height of the flood walls protecting BKK. Efforts are beeing made to divert water to the east and west around BKK this will effect roads in these areas, however the situation is changing by the hour (for the worst). The Government is forecasting that flooding will impact BKK and surrounding areas for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Food and drinking water in BKK is in short supply but hotel room supply is plentyfull due to lack of tourists and business people. Don Muaeang airport is floode now and shut down. once you get out of BKK and surrounding area you should be ok.

[deepthroat]

Yingluck Warns of Widespread Flooding in Bangkok as High Tide Approaches

Oct 25, 2011 10:29 AM PT

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra laid out a worst-case scenario as a deluge of water approaches Bangkok, telling residents to take precautions and expect low levels of flooding as a high tide nears.

“There is a possibility that the water will run through the center of Bangkok,” she said in a national address late yesterday. “The severity of the flooding will depend on the altitude of each area.”

Water levels in parts of Bangkok may reach as high as 1.5 meters (5 feet) if a major breach occurs in dikes to the north of the capital, she said. In most places, flood depths may reach about 50 centimeters, she said.

Diverting a three-meter-deep wall of water approaching Bangkok is key to sparing the city from the severity of floods that have inundated about 10,000 factories north of the city, disrupting the supply chains of Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) The effort hinges on the strength of untested dikes, said Adri Verwey, a scientist who is advising Yingluck.

“The problem is the dikes have never been put under such high pressure,” said Verwey, a specialist with Deltares, a Netherlands-based research institute, who has been helping advise Thai officials the past two weeks with the support of the Dutch government. “Any dike system that comes under extreme conditions will show failures.”

Thailand’s government yesterday announced a five-day holiday starting tomorrow for 21 northern and central provinces including Bangkok to give people time to prepare for flooding. Commercial banks and financial markets will remain open, according to the Bank of Thailand.

‘Stay Outside’

“We are trying to encourage people in Bangkok to stay outside the city during this critical period when tides will peak,” city Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said after Yingluck’s speech. A widespread evacuation of the city of almost 10 million people “is impossible,” he said.

Water levels rose further on Bangkok’s outskirts yesterday as about 4 billion cubic meters of water approached the capital from the north, Sukhumbhand said, raising concern that flood barriers may be inadequate.

“You need enormous intense surveillance to keep these things under control,” Verwey said. “If there are too many breaches, then you will easily have extensive areas with more than a meter of water in downtown Bangkok, especially Sukhumvit, which is very low-lying.”

The Chao Phraya river, whose banks are lined with hotels including the Oriental and the Shangri-La, overflowed in some areas after water levels reached a record of 2.30 meters (7.5 feet) above sea level Oct. 24, exceeding the 2.27-meter peak reached in 1995, Sukhumbhand said yesterday. Bangkok has an average elevation of less than 2 meters above sea level.

Airport Closure

]Yingluck had vowed to protect airports, power plants and major transport routes from floodwaters that she said may take six weeks to drain through rivers and Bangkok’s 1,682 canals.

Don Mueang, the nation’s second-biggest airport and the site of the government’s flood-relief operations, was forced to close yesterday as floodwaters rose, said Kantpat Mangalasiri, the airport’s director. Suvarnabhumi Airport, the nation’s biggest, is operating normally, Airports of Thailand Pcl (AOT), which operates the airfield, said yesterday.

At least 366 people have been killed because of seasonal monsoon rains and flooding since July 25, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said yesterday. More than 100,000 people are living in about 1,700 government evacuation centers, which can handle as many as 800,000 people, according to government data.

Economic Impact

The three-month-old disaster will cut about 1 percentage point from economic growth, causing the economy to expand less than 3 percent this year, central bank Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul said yesterday. The budget for rehabilitation may exceed 100 billion baht ($3.2 billion), Prasarn said.

Companies including Apple, Toyota and Honda Motor Co. are facing the worst supply disruptions since the March earthquake that struck Japan. Thailand makes about a quarter of the world’s hard-disk drives and serves as a production hub for Japanese carmakers and electronics firms.

Toyota will maintain its investment in the country, Yukitoshi Funo, the company’s deputy managing director, said after meeting Yingluck yesterday.

About 9,850 factories in eight provinces have been flooded, said Chalitrat Chandrubeksa, a deputy government spokesman. The plants represent a total investment of 800 billion baht and employ 660,000 workers.

Thailand’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to provide 325 billion baht of loans to companies and residents affected by the disaster, and will waive corporate income taxes for companies in industrial estates for eight years, Industry Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said.

Water Shortage

The three-month-long disaster has severed road and rail links, destroyed crops and shut down some production of food and drinking water, disrupting the ability of supermarkets in the capital to restock shelves. Conflicting warnings about the severity of the crisis have sparked panic buying of water, eggs and instant noodles.

The government will accelerate imports of food, beverages and household items from Southeast Asian countries after flooding reduced local supply by 40 percent, Permanent Secretary for Commerce Yanyong Phuangrach said yesterday.

To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net; Anuchit Nguyen in Bangkok at anguyen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at phirschberg@bloomberg.net

[SiamSam]

Much thanks Beijo.

I do not plan to stay in Bangkok. However I have no choice but to land there and then need to be able to get transport to Hua Hin. I don't think anyone flies to HH and if they do it is undoubtedly out of Don Muaeang. So taxi is the only option and my concern will be the condition of the roads. We'll see. I keep checking as I get closer to my departure date.

[randiuno]

Thanks for this update SiamSam,

I want to go to Ankhor Wat, and a friend suggested I go via Bangkok (where he is booked for two weeks) arriving Nov 26, and check out the ladyboys (which I'm sure are better looking in Thailand than Cambodia) in Bangkok for a couple of days. Sounds like I should skip Bangkok this trip and just go straight into Siem Reap, and save BKK for the next trip.

Thanks again.

Randi.

SiamSam - what I hear from Bangkok News and what was confirmed 2 hours ago by my friend in BKK is the following. Nobody is sure if central BKK will be flooded or not, the next 6 days will be critical. The flood run-off will be slowed by the expected high tides which will result in higher water levels in the Cha Phraya river. Expected river levels are exceeding the height of the flood walls protecting BKK. Efforts are beeing made to divert water to the east and west around BKK this will effect roads in these areas, however the situation is changing by the hour (for the worst). The Government is forecasting that flooding will impact BKK and surrounding areas for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Food and drinking water in BKK is in short supply but hotel room supply is plentyfull due to lack of tourists and business people. Don Muaeang airport is floode now and shut down. once you get out of BKK and surrounding area you should be ok.

[DownLoLarry]

“If there are too many breaches, then you will easily have extensive areas with more than a meter of water in downtown Bangkok, especially Sukhumvit, which is very low-lying.”

Vice Admiral Niruth Hongprasert, chief of Navy's Hydrographic Department, warns Bangkok people that on October 27-28, the high tide from the sea would raise Chao Phraya river level in inner Bangkok as high as 2.6 metres above the mean sea level, which is higher than BMA's concrete floodwall of 2.50 metres.

Expect to see water overflowing banks along Chao Phraya river during the high tide, he said.

In a live TV interview, Vice Admiral Niruth said it was not easy to predict the level of Chao Phraya river longer than 2-3 days as there are so many unpredictable variables, especially the big mass of water from water run-off from the North.

In fact, the situation changes day by day. However, the prediction still stands at the moment that Chao Phraya river will definitely overflows its banks.

The message has already been conveyed to the Froc, he said.

[DownLoLarry]

I want to go to Ankhor Wat, and a friend suggested I go via Bangkok (where he is booked for two weeks) arriving Nov 26, and check out the ladyboys (which I'm sure are better looking in Thailand than Cambodia) in Bangkok for a couple of days. Sounds like I should skip Bangkok this trip and just go straight into Siem Reap, and save BKK for the next trip.

Randi, November 26th is a long way off. Siem Reap is not a good town for ladyboy action. There doesn't seem to be any ladyboys in the few P4P bars. Some dodgy and perhaps underage ladyboys hang out by the river very late at night.

If Sukhumvit Soi 4 floods and Nana Entertainment Plaza (NEP) where Obsessions, Cascade, Casanova, and Temptaions are located are still closed on November 26th which seems doubtful to me, you will still be able to easily get to Pattaya from the airport by either rather inexpensive taxi or the 200 baht Bell Bus which drops you off at the Pattaya hotel of your choice.

My suggestion is to plan for a few days in Thailand but don't make any hotel reservations and at the last minute either stay on Sukhumvit Soi 4 or otherwise go to Pattaya.

[beijo]

Yes, by November 30 the worst should be over or should I say the flooding should be history. But for now here is the latest as published 26/10/2011 at 9:31 AM

Navy warns, 2,6m high tide

Vice Admiral Niruth Hongprasert, chief of Navy's Hydrographic Department, warns Bangkok people that on October 27-28, the high tide from the sea would raise the Chao Pharya River level in inner Bangkok to as high as 2.6 meters above mean sea level, which is higher than BMA's concrete floodwall of 2.50 meters.

Expect to see water overflowing banks along the Chao Phraya during high tide, he said

In a live TV interview, Vice Admiral N. said it was not easy to predict the level of the river more than 2-3 days ahaed, as there are so many unpredictable variables, especially the big mass of floodwater arriving from the north.

In fact, the situation changes day by day, However, the prediction still stands at the moment, that the Chao Phraya River will definitely overflow its banks he said,

[SiamSam]

Randiuno,

The update was courtesy of Beijo. He responded to my original query.

Also what Larry is saying is absolutely correct. If your interest is Ladyboys I encourage you to stick with your plans to fly into Bangkok. If indeed Sukhumvit Soi 4 is flooded with water just grab a cheap taxi to Pattaya. In two hours you'll be dab smack in the middle of Ladyboy Mecca experiencing a FLOOD of another sort.

[Tomcat]

Ive removed my belongings stored in Soi4 off ground level and had them move it upstairs at a friends house. To be honest i left LOS a few days ago as i cant be bothered to take a chance. My gut feeling is that Soi4 may just escape the deluge but if it comes it could be 1-6 weeks before it drys out depending on many factors and unknown unknowns. And thats the nub... with estimates this wide its a tough call. Chinatown has water already it seems

I wont be back for 6-7 weeks thats for sure. Ill only have the snow to contend with in London

I think theres a few guys here who live around there so hopefully we will get some more feedback in the next 48 hours

[pdogg]

Sorry to hear you had to cut short your holiday TC. As I recall you were in Phuket on Boxing Day, the day of the tsunami. No warning for that one but we have plenty of advance notice about the flooding so you did the prudent thing IMO.

A couple of Bangkok FMs just arrived in Pattaya today. Patts is a safe haven.

[randiuno]

Thanks for the info...would like to see the ladyboy sites...thanks

Randiuno,

The update was courtesy of Beijo. He responded to my original query.

Also what Larry is saying is absolutely correct. If your interest is Ladyboys I encourage you to stick with your plans to fly into Bangkok. If indeed Sukhumvit Soi 4 is flooded with water just grab a cheap taxi to Pattaya. In two hours you'll be dab smack in the middle of Ladyboy Mecca experiencing a FLOOD of another sort.

[pdogg]

If the situation deteriorates, Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Surasawadi has the authority to decide whether to order all people in Bangkok to evacuate, Col Thanathip said.

Lots of Bangkok license plates spied in Sodom By the Sea.

[Tomcat]

In BKK a four day holiday has been declared i think and many are heading for Patt or H Hin the BK post states. Its says that cheap accomodation in Pattaya will all be gone soon if more pour in. Also many westerners are avoiding BKK. Even i thought twice about going to BKK .

See you in December sometime PD and we'll get the chessboard out ..

[JaiDee]

It's a truly sad situation in BKK right now, I think the people here in North America can't even imagine the magnitude of what is happening there because it's on the other side of the world, but I follow it daily. I have a lot of farang friends in Bangkok and wish the best for them, not to mention all the LB's I was fortunate enough to meet over the years, I truly wish that they are OK.

It does appear to me that Yingluck is in way over her head, no pun intended.

This will certainly put a dent in the usual high-season income these girls have come to expect as well as reports of cancellations and people choosing other places to vacation have become widespread. For myself I am lucky as I only have a layover in BKK in late November on my way to Kathmandu so it won't affect my travel plans at all.

Good luck to Bangkok!!

[SiamSam]

I arrive in Bangkok December 01 but need transport to Hua Hin. My concern is the condition of the roads and being able to get a taxi to take me there. I was going to stay in BKK for a few days before heading down to HH but perhaps I will abort that plan. They are saying it could take 6 weeks before draining the city.

I too wish Bangkok the very best!

[Tomcat]

It appears the Water is around Soi40 something now. Many phone lies have gone kaputt due to the ingress of water uptown...

I think on Sunday they are going to dig a trench across Bang Na Highway to divert the water away.

A temp bridge will be built for traffic to cross. This is the highway to Pattaya i believe so hope someone can report back on this if it appears. If it helps then who minds a traffic jam

Heres hoping for the best

[JaiDee]

I arrive in Bangkok December 01 but need transport to Hua Hin. My concern is the condition of the roads and being able to get a taxi to take me there.

I think it's just a matter of time, but probably 5-10 years away, that they put in ferry service between the airport and Hua Hin. Actually I'm surprised they haven't done so by now, it would be a real money-maker and so much more convenient for all the Swedes and Danes who go straight there upon landing.

I was there last year Sam, taxi's are about 2200 baht to/from the airport [yes, not cheap]; I have the feeling that by the time you arrive the roads will be OK enough to get over there, but unfortunately you do have to take some roads which will skirt Bangkok proper.

[SiamSam]

Thanks Jai Dee.

Wanna grab a bite tonight? If so, gimme a call.

[JaiDee]

OK!

[Hefe]

I wonder when this flooding ebbs if there will be bargains to be had on hotels/airfare to reboot tourism? It will coincide with the high season as well, stay tuned.....

But the slow motion tragedy swamping the Thais can't be taken lightly, I hope for the best this next couple of weeks.

[beijo]

Hefe - dont count on it. I am told that hotel prices in Hua Hin and Pattaya have actualy gone up and hotels are booked out due to the influx of all the people fleeing the water in BKK, and on top of that Quantas has shut down due to a labor dispute.

The flood walls in BKK held up at todays high tides, so with some luck and the next tides gradualy getting lower there is some hope that BKK is back to normal in about 2 weeks. Just in time for the start of the tourist season.

[paulj92]

is there anyone in pattaya who can give us an update on food drink etc getting to pattaya are supplies running out i get in tomorrow night thanks

[PANIC]

as of yesterday...

[Katoeylover]

I have been in Bangkok since monday.

The area around central: ie Sukhumvit from Thong-lo to MBK and surrounding areas are water free and working as close to normal as is possible,