Disaster Response アーカイブ

When Bangkok’s Roads Became Rivers, the Skywalk Became a Shelter

2026-10-04 by tokiwo

On September 27, 2026, parts of Bang Kapi in eastern Bangkok were still under deep floodwater. Around the Happy Land intersection, cars and buses sat stranded while roads that normally carried heavy city traffic had effectively become waterways.

But the stranger scene was above the street. Residents had carried bags of clothes, valuables and basic supplies onto an elevated pedestrian skywalk. Some were no longer simply passing through it. They were using it as a place to stay — and, for at least one family, a place to spend the night.

Thailand

A Flooded-Car Rescue Turned Deadly in Thailand — The Danger Was Above the Water

2026-10-03 by tokiwo

At around 1:20 a.m. on September 27, 2026, in Bang Phli, Samut Prakan Province, just outside Bangkok, an attempt to save a flooded car turned into another disaster.

Floodwater in the residential area had risen above 1.2 meters. According to local reporting and an account from the homeowner’s wife, a truck-mounted crane had been brought in to move a submerged sedan to higher ground. During the operation, the tip of the crane boom came into contact with an overhead power line. The 31-year-old crane operator suffered an electric shock and collapsed into the floodwater. The 40-year-old car owner rushed in to help and was also shocked. Both men died.

An operation meant to save a car from flood damage had become a fatal secondary disaster.

Thailand

When Ambulances Couldn’t Get Through: Why Bangkok Flood Medics Had to Switch Vehicles

2026-10-02 by tokiwo

In late September 2026, days of heavy rain left large parts of Bangkok flooded. Cars sat stranded in brown water, streets became channels, and once again the city was confronted with the familiar problem of moving people through neighborhoods that had effectively stopped functioning as roads.

But this time, one detail stood out. Some of the vehicles sent in to help could no longer get through either.

Standard six-wheel trucks used by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) became unusable in some of the deepest-flooded areas. Ambulances also ran into trouble. In response, doctors and emergency personnel had to travel as far as an ambulance could safely go, then transfer to high-clearance GMC trucks for the final leg into flooded residential districts.

Thailand

Before It Could Escape: Thai Officials Moved a 400kg Crocodile by Crane as Floodwaters Rose

2026-10-01 by tokiwo

On September 27, 2026, floodwaters were rising around Wat Pho Thong in Prachin Buri Province, eastern Thailand. Among the things that suddenly needed evacuating was something no disaster response plan could make look ordinary: a 27-year-old crocodile more than four metres long and weighing over 400 kilograms.

The crocodile, named Nuea Thong, was still inside its enclosure when water around it reached roughly 1.3 metres. With floodwater continuing to rise, officials feared the animal could leave the enclosure and eventually reach the nearby Prachin Buri River. The important part of this story is that the crocodile never escaped. The evacuation happened before it could.

Thailand