Suvarnabhumi airport and floods

[voracious 31]

Left Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi today. No problems road was dry, traffic fast. Airport is fine, things are dry at the moment.

 

Left the airport and headed into Bangkok an hour later. Road from airport to Ratchada all good. Traffic moving fast.

 

Here on Ratchada and it's bone dry outside. I see the MRT has sandbags ready to go at the stairwell entrances. I'd hate to be caught down in the tunnels if it started to flood quickly.

[lamejane 1]

Left Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi today. No problems road was dry, traffic fast. Airport is fine, things are dry at the moment.

 

Left the airport and headed into Bangkok an hour later. Road from airport to Ratchada all good. Traffic moving fast.

 

Here on Ratchada and it's bone dry outside. I see the MRT has sandbags ready to go at the stairwell entrances. I'd hate to be caught down in the tunnels if it started to flood quickly.

 

Many thanks for that first hand information voracious.

 

I'm flying in into Suvarnabhumi very early this Friday morning and hope to get a taxi to Pattaya without flood problems. I know things can change, but it's super nice to know the way is open at the moment.

 

I'm doing the return trip only 5 days later, but calling home to say "Sorry, cant come back to work now because the airport is flooded" strangely isn't as alarming as not getting there in the first place!

[joekicker 53]

Yeah, good piece in the Fishwrap this morning showing what I meant. You head south, then east to loop around to head back up North and Northeast. And this is what happens. Jeeze, there is really no way out except in a flying machine, looks like. My friend up in Isan is kvetching about dry weather and red ants!

 

 

.

[mmaaarrrkkk 41]

Left Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi today. No problems road was dry, traffic fast. Airport is fine, things are dry at the moment.

 

Left the airport and headed into Bangkok an hour later. Road from airport to Ratchada all good. Traffic moving fast.

 

Here on Ratchada and it's bone dry outside. I see the MRT has sandbags ready to go at the stairwell entrances. I'd hate to be caught down in the tunnels if it started to flood quickly.

 

Yup thanks for the live info. I am scheduled in Bangkok in 10days!

[maik 453]

Bangkok Post today:

 

Suvarnabhumi to take flood evacuees

 

The Suvarnabhumi management plans open a parking area east of the airport to take up to 1,500 flood evacuees, the airport's acting director Somchai Sawasdipol said on Thursday.

 

He said the shelter was intended to take mainly people living around the airport since the area is designed to take floodwater east of Bangkok.

 

A building would also be opened to accommodate some 200 staff who have problems travelling to work at the airport, Mr Somchai said.

 

The shelter area to be opened would be provided with mobile toilets and tents.

 

The airport would give more details at a press conference to be held at 4pm.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Posting this from the United lounge at Narita. All onward flights to Bangkok on schedule for this evening. United rep told me no problems getting in or out of Swampy to BKK or Pattaya. Plan to spend one night in BKK, then on to Pattaya tomorrow. I will report on how it goes.

 

Evil

[zyphur 31]

For those of us who are planning a trip to Patts & Bangkok over the next couple of weeks these regular updates are highly appreciated.....so a big thanks to all BM's who are giving the rest of us reliable on-the-spot information.

[MrDK 59]

Flew in to BKK last night and drove to Pattaya.

All bone dry, except the drainage canals at the airport.

The levels in the canals were about 5 feet below surface, but I think that is quite normal.

[fiferx 3]

MY GF is planning to get the bus from Nakhon Phanom to Bangkok to meet me at the airport next Wednesday.

 

Are the buses running OK?

 

Would it be better for her to bypass BKK and take an alternative route to Pattaya which perhaps avoids most of the flooding?

 

Any advice would be welcome.

 

Jim.

[joekicker 53]

Are the buses running OK?

 

Would it be better for her to bypass BKK and take an alternative route to Pattaya which perhaps avoids most of the flooding?

 

No and yes. The buses are horrible hell-trips, slow and it could easily take 24 hours. If she can bypass Bangkok and come through, say, Prachinburi that would be good. She probably knows what that means, tell her.

 

Best would be if she flew to Bangkok, drive to Pattaya without going into Bangkok city.

 

.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Posting this from my hotel room on Sukhumvit Road near Asoke. No problem at all to get into Suk area. I de-planed at 10.50 p.m., was checking into the hotel at 11.50 p.m. Very little traffic on the way in, but Suk Road seems close to normal in terms of late night traffic. No sign of water except a little rain.

 

Evil

[joekicker 53]

Posting this from my hotel room on Sukhumvit Road near Asoke. No problem at all to get into Suk area. I de-planed at 10.50 p.m., was checking into the hotel at 11.50 p.m. Very little traffic on the way in, but Suk Road seems close to normal in terms of late night traffic. No sign of water except a little rain.

 

Better than 1983 and 1995 then, at least along Sukhumvit:

 

 

.

[voracious 31]

Glad you made it in safe, evil. you should be good to go tomorrow.

 

Traffic, if anything, does seem to be a bit lighter. I saw on Thai (I think it was local...) a bus station with lots of people waiting to get out and complaining about it being hard to get on one.

 

Water level @ Chinatown, Bangkok (walking from Hualomphong MRT into Chinatown) looked like this at 1PM yesterday.

 

Is it enough? I don't know how much is coming.

[joekicker 53]

Traffic, if anything, does seem to be a bit lighter. I saw on Thai (I think it was local...) a bus station with lots of people waiting to get out and complaining about it being hard to get on one.

 

That's because it's a five-day holiday weekend. Everyone wants to get out of town. Thousands have parked their cars up high for a week or two, too. And half the taxis are out of operation. Most of the trucks are grounded for the duration.

 

.

[joekicker 53]

So there's a plan...

 

The beautifully named FROC thinks that right today (edit) FRIDAY (got a day ahead of myself) it will dig big trenches across (i.e. through) important roads such as the main Bangkok-Pattaya highway (Bang Na - Trad Highway) and others, so the flood waters can come right through the east side of Bangkok, *through* the roadways and off to the Gulf. The "plan" is to bridge those trenches, presumably with something like Baileys, which there are lots of and which the Thai military and various government departments are actually quite good with.

 

So that should be fun.

 

.

Edited October 27, 2011 by joekicker

[BigusDicus 9,927]

So there's a plan...

 

The beautifully named FROC thinks that right today (edit) FRIDAY (got a day ahead of myself) it will dig big trenches across (i.e. through) important roads such as the main Bangkok-Pattaya highway (Bang Na - Trad Highway) and others, so the flood waters can come right through the east side of Bangkok, *through* the roadways and off to the Gulf. The "plan" is to bridge those trenches, presumably with something like Baileys, which there are lots of and which the Thai military and various government departments are actually quite good with.

 

So that should be fun.

 

.

 

 

Houston, we have a problem.......

[nkped 1,208]

Posting this from my hotel room on Sukhumvit Road near Asoke. No problem at all to get into Suk area. I de-planed at 10.50 p.m., was checking into the hotel at 11.50 p.m. Very little traffic on the way in, but Suk Road seems close to normal in terms of late night traffic. No sign of water except a little rain.

 

Evil

Good to hear that as I will be doing much the same on Nov 7 at about the same time. I would definitely not be happy if, instead, I were to find myself that night in some dive in Itaewon and having a 50 something BG saying "I know you" and being right .

[voracious 31]

Things fine this morning on Ratchada.

Taxi ride yesterday, even small elevated portions of freeways and flyovers had lines of cars parked there.

 

A guy, who seemed pretty intelligent, was on Thai News. He was saying (my paraphrasing, could be off a little bit) that cutting the roads is a good general idea, but has to take into account where the diverted groundwater is going, how it will interact with inundated areas, and care must be taken that the overland water will not cause more devastation than is being avoided. (basically let's think before we start cutting).

 

Looking at the map, we're expecting at the most, a half meter here (if it's accurate), which wouldn't even reach the hotel door... if it's true then we're in good shape here...(on Ratchada in Ding Deng)

[mmaaarrrkkk 41]

Things fine this morning on Ratchada.

Taxi ride yesterday, even small elevated portions of freeways and flyovers had lines of cars parked there.

 

A guy, who seemed pretty intelligent, was on Thai News. He was saying (my paraphrasing, could be off a little bit) that cutting the roads is a good general idea, but has to take into account where the diverted groundwater is going, how it will interact with inundated areas, and care must be taken that the overland water will not cause more devastation than is being avoided. (basically let's think before we start cutting).

 

Looking at the map, we're expecting at the most, a half meter here (if it's accurate), which wouldn't even reach the hotel door... if it's true then we're in good shape here...(on Ratchada in Ding Deng)

 

 

Thanks V. Besides the potential chest high water , its now worrying about hotel bookings , transportation as well as food and water shortages.

 

But I will most probably still be there in 9 days unless the Airport is not operational.

Edited October 28, 2011 by mmaaarrrkkk

[Fondles 94]

its now worrying about hotel bookings ,

 

Those rich enough have left Thailand, those who are not have relocated to Pattaya, I doubt there will be issues finding a hotel in BKK.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

No noticeable problems in Suk area. Stores, restaurants, bars stocked as usual, including bottled water. Can't see any problems. If I didn't know about flood warnings, I wouldn't suspect anything different than usual. Off to Pattaya in an hour.

 

Evil

 

 

 

[fiferx 3]

No and yes. The buses are horrible hell-trips, slow and it could easily take 24 hours. If she can bypass Bangkok and come through, say, Prachinburi that would be good. She probably knows what that means, tell her.

 

Best would be if she flew to Bangkok, drive to Pattaya without going into Bangkok city.

 

.

 

Thanks for that advice. I've passed it on.

[joekicker 53]

Those rich enough have left Thailand, those who are not have relocated to Pattaya, I doubt there will be issues finding a hotel in BKK.

 

Why would they leave Thailand?

 

.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Ride from BKK to Pattaya was normal. Heavy traffic on some stretches getting out of downtown BKK, passing an accident on motorway slowed things a bit, traffic heavy and slow in Pattaya. Trip from BKK to Pattas took two hours, another 20 minutes within Patts to get to my condo near Tukcom. But that is about par for the course for a Friday afternoon. However, condo manager said a lot of demand for rooms, apartments in Pattaya. I don't know how extensive an overview he has, but told me, "Everything full, Very good business."

 

Evil

[timorno 30]

Why would they leave Thailand?

 

.

 

Seems to be in fashion among Bangkokians... my girlfriends father took off with his 2nd wife and son to Italy.