Central Bangkok Escapes Flooding

The grand Chao Phraya River flows through Bangkok. It is the main drainage route for flood water from the north, which flows through Bangkok into the Gulf of Thailand.

Bangkok, Thailand. October 17, 2011. The flood danger to metropolitan Bangkok has passed and massive flooding has been averted, although localized flooding in some Bangkok streets did occur, mostly, however, from rain runoff, which usually dissipates quickly. Unfortunately, outlying areas, especially in eastern and northern Bangkok, were not so lucky and are still under water. My friends in Min Buri in eastern Bangkok, were flooded for about two days, but they were able to move most of their possessions to an upper floor, and now that the water has receded, the damage they suffered was minimal. My friends in Pathum Thani in northern Bangkok, live in one of the most heavily flooded areas, but so far their immediate soi has not been flooded. They are packed and will move in with me if water descends on their home, which is only one story high. They have placed their belongings as high off the floor as they can. Aside from the inconvenience of long periods of rain daily, I have not been affected. A very few businesses in my area have erected sand bag barriers, and my condo management has put in a supply of sand bags to use as walkways if the ground floor parking garage is under water. At least one of my neighbors has stockpiled a large quantity of drinking water, and there are reports that the stores are all out of drinking water, but I haven’t checked. I was never concerned for myself or for my area, but the situation for many others in Thailand is very bad. Throughout, I was amazed at the graciousness, the equanimity, and the lack of anger of the Thais I saw on TV. None of them had lapsed into a consciousness of victimhood that so often accompanies tragedies like this. In other words they are not blaming anyone. Good for them.