Worst Floods in 50 Years

[fiferx 3]

My friend Sri is supposed to be travelling from Nakhon Phanom in the North-East to Bangkok to meet my flight when I arrive on the 27th. of this month.

 

She now says she's not sure if this will be possible because the buses have been cancelled due to flooding on the main road between the N-E and Bangkok.

 

I've had a look on the Internet and this is apparently the worst flooding for 50 years. Reservoirs are overflowing, dams are threatened and are having to open up the floodgates to release some of the excess water. Roads are blocked, and Bangkok is putting out sandbags in an attempt to hold the water back from the city.

 

Anybody know any more about this.

 

Especially, does anyone have any information regarding how long the situation is expected to last, and when the road transport may be exected to return to normal?

 

Jim

[CheshireTom 1,377]

We're just approaching the full moon (and high tides), so they'll likely get worse before they get better.

[joekicker 53]

Well, the problem moves southward, and peaks at Bangkok this weekend and quite possibly for a few weeks. Beginning at Chaiyaphum, the floods will recede, moving southward, over the next week to one month. It's simply impossible to be more precise, and there is a lot more flooding in store.

 

This is not the place to ask this, though. The Thai newspapers are absolutely packed with information on this. Try the Bangkok Post for example, where you can read and search almost constantly for the latest, frequent updates.

 

.

Edited October 23, 2010 by joekicker

[Fireman Sam 336]

Nakhon Phanom town itself has no problem with flooding at present. I think the problem is down around Korat area, where the bus normally stops for a food break.

 

The week long Nakhon Phanom boat festival is finishing on Sunday 24th, all the flights and buses are booked solid with everybody returning to their jobs in Bangkok etc etc, for at least the next 3-4 days. Maybe then she will be able to get a seat on the bus. Or she could get the local bus to Udon (5-1/2) hours then jump on a bus from there, rather her than me though !!

 

Best Regards

Fireman Sam

[joekicker 53]

The week long Nakhon Phanom boat festival is finishing on Sunday 24th, all the flights and buses are booked solid with everybody returning to their jobs in Bangkok etc etc, for at least the next 3-4 days. Maybe then she will be able to get a seat on the bus. Or she could get the local bus to Udon (5-1/2) hours then jump on a bus from there, rather her than me though !!

 

Many of the main roads and the railway in the general Korat area are currently blocked by flooding, without reference to any festivals. The floods are not connected this year to the Mekong, i.e. NKP. The Ping and Chao Phraya basins very roughly down the centre of the country through Chaiyaphum, Korat, Bangkok are the affected areas.

 

You need to check day to day to see what's blocked, what's not.

 

.

[fiferx 3]

Thanks to Joekicker and Firemansam for the information.

 

I think I'll probably be on my own for 4 or 5 days in Pattaya, because it doesn't look as though the situation is going to be resolved all that quickly.

 

I had planned to miss the FLB bar-crawl on Wed, 27th. because that would be my first day back and Sri wouldn't appreciate it if I went out on the booze instead of staying in the hotel and taking care of her.

 

May revise these plans now.

 

Jim

Edited October 24, 2010 by fiferx