Bangkok Suffers Worst Flooding in 20 Years

[Gaybutton]

Incredibly, while Bangkok was hit with such torrential rains on Tuesday, Pattaya had the driest day we've had in nearly two weeks.

 

The following appears in THE NATION:

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WET TUESDAY

Staying Afloat

 

Published on October 14, 2009

 

Cars Sink and Pedestrians are Marooned as the Heaviest Rains in Two Decades hit Bangkok

 

The misery of traffic jams left Bangkok drivers wishing they could swap their cars for boats yesterday, as the capital's roads disappeared under water. The long and heavy downpour brought the biggest spike in rainwater levels for more than two decades.

 

Bailing out

 

After driving her husband to work along Srinakarin Road at 1.30pm, housewife Naphaphorn Chuenprasaeng witnessed one driver baling water from his brokendown car with a cup. "It was shocking to see the floodwaters so high. I saw dozens of breakdowns."

 

"The journey from Bang Na to my home on Patthanakan 65 took two hours. Normally, it's only 30 minutes."

 

Fon, a resident of the Thippawan community on Thepharak Road, said the flood level rose to 30 centimetres, forcing her to stay at home. The community was inundated from 7am until well into the afternoon.

 

"The whole area looks like a canal. I had no customers at my restaurant as a result. In the past, floodwaters have subsided after a few hours - never before has the community been flooded for so long," Fon said.

Never-ending journey

 

Noon, a company employee in Bang Na district, said she left home in Lad Prao district for her office at 11.30am. "Usually, my commute by bus takes an hour and a half but it took almost four hours today. I've never seen floods as high in the three years of traveling to this office. In places the water was waist deep."

 

She added that she witnessed pedestrians literally marooned on islands created by the rising waters.

 

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through knee-deep water to get to exam halls. At 1.30pm, the traffic around the university was gridlocked.

 

Narong Airasubkunakorn, director of the city's Information Drainage Technology Department confirmed the rain had been the heaviest in 25 years. Other roads that suffered jams as a result were Sukhumvit, Rama 3, Rama 4, Rama 9, Phitsanulok, Lat Phrao, Ratchadaphisek, Ngarmwong wan and Vibhavadi and Rajdamnoen Avenue.

[Guest fountainhall]

I live near Rama 4 and Sathorn and watched the rain yesterday from my condo. Strange thing is my soi usually gets flooded during very heavy but relatively short downpours. Yesterday, whilst it was pouring for hours, it did not seem nearly as heavy and we had no flooding!

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I live in Jomtien. No rain yesterday. MY bf went to N. Pattaya on Sukhumvit and he said it rained there.

[Guest gay_grampa]

I live near Rama 4 and Sathorn and watched the rain yesterday from my condo. Strange thing is my soi usually gets flooded during very heavy but relatively short downpours. Yesterday, whilst it was pouring for hours, it did not seem nearly as heavy and we had no flooding!

 

That's right - I was in Bangkok and the Silom area was wet but no big rains and unaffected by any flooding.

All the bars were still going great.