All Ministers Instructed to Inspect the Flood Situation to Help Affected People

(08/09/2011)

All Cabinet members have been instructed to take flood inspection trips to affected areas in order to seek ways to help flood victims. The instruction was made by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who expressed her concern over the flood situation in the lower North, the central region, and Bangkok. She had invited Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyoot Wichaidit and governors of nine flood-hit provinces for a workshop to handle comprehensive water management. The nine provinces include Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, and Ubon Ratchathani. The Prime Minister told all relevant agencies to be ready to cope with flood-related problems, ranging from rehabilitation, compensation for losses caused by flooding, and public relations to restore confidence among the public. The “2P2R” measures have been implemented by various government agencies to deal with the flooding situation. They include “preparation, response, recovery, and prevention.” The Prime Minister said that the Cabinet, during its meeting on September 6, approved compensation of 5,000 baht for each flood-hit family as immediate assistance. It agreed to shorten the period to offer compensation for the agricultural sector, after water recedes, from within 90 days to within 60 days. The Ministry of Interior reported to the Cabinet that Their Majesties the King and Queen and members of the Royal Family have given necessary items to the affected people. Warnings had been given to the people about flashfloods from September 5 to 10, when a storm is likely to sweep through the lower North, the upper central region, and the Northeast. A number of officials have been instructed to work around the clock to monitor the situation and prepare equipment to urgently tackle the problem. Since July 25, a total of 39 provinces have been declared flood-hit areas, comprising 330 districts and more than 18,000 villages, with over four million affected people. The Ministry of Public Health was instructed to prevent certain diseases coming with the flood waters, such as diarrhea and leptospirosis. The Cabinet was told that the central administration of the Government Public Relations Department, Radio Thailand, and Television of Thailand, or the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand, were joining hands in organizing a special program to report on the flooding and help flood victims every Sunday, 11.00-12.00 hr. The Cabinet instructed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to inform the people about high tides from the North resulting in the higher level of water in the Chao Phraya River, so that they would be able to prepare for the situation.