Members of the Media Urged to Join a Campaign to Help Flood Victims

(13/09/2011)

The Government has urged members of the media to join a campaign to help flood victims, with a fund set up to welcome donations. Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, Miss Kitsana Seehalak, said that the Prime Minister had instructed the Prime Minister’s Office to join forces with all sectors of society to organize an event, calling for donations to help flood-hit people on 14 September 2011, 20.30-22.30 hr, at Santi Maitri Building, Government House. The event will be televised on NBT Television (Television of Thailand Channel 11) and Modernine TV (Channel 9). She called for cooperation from the media to help seek donations from the public, saying that all ministries were now working together in joint flood-relief efforts. The Government has allocated funds from the national budget to urgently assist the affected people, as well. It is accepting donations and assistance all the time for flood relief. The general public has also been urged to make donations to the Fund to Help Disaster Victims, which was set up by the Prime Minister’s Office. Donations are accepted at Krung Thai Bank’s savings account number 067-0068950, or at the Finance Division of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office. For more information, please call 0-2282-4130, or contact the call center 1551. The Government has established the Emergency Situation Management Center for Floods, Storms, and Landslides to deal effectively with the natural disasters. According to a report issued by the center, as of September 13, 21 provinces, with 99 districts, were flooded. A total of 3,578 villages, with 221,134 families and 693,433 people, were affected. Eighty-seven people have died since the floods began in late July. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on September 11 visited villagers affected by flash floods and mudslides in Uttaradit province. She felt sorry for the affected people and called on them to be patient. At the same time, the Prime Minister ordered officials to search for the missing people promptly. The Royal Thai Army was told to send soldiers to help local people and repair damaged public facilities. It also agreed to install a disaster warning system in various vulnerable areas. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security was instructed to provide shelter for those who lost their homes in the disaster. Prime Minister Yingluck expressed appreciation to the Thai Red Cross Society for its assistance in building a number of pre-fabricated houses as temporary shelter for flood victims. At the same time, the Ministry of Public Health has sent psychiatrists to take care of the mental health of flood-hit people. Many of them still fear of the recurrence of the flood situation and have been under a lot of stress. As for those suffering from chronic diseases, the Ministry has paid special attention to them to ensure that they receive continual treatment and take their medicine regularly.