Northern floods tragedy – Monks unable to help

Waist-high water flooded into riverfront neighbourhoods after the remains of Hurricane Noru dumped a heavy load of rain and knocked down trees.

The heaviest rainfall, about 22 centimetres in 24 hours, was recorded in the north-eastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, where more than 5,000 people were moved to shelters on higher ground.

In Chai Nat province, Buddhist monks made their presence known on social media Saturday, rescuing a frail old man from severe flooding. Netizens could not help but to comment on the monks’ self-sacrifice and kindness. But the story did not have the happy ending on looking urbanites might have wished.

Monks from Wat Phai Lom carried the body of 98-year-old Phao Thongsa-Ad to an ambulance. Phao had perished from nothing more than the weight of old age earlier in the day. Due to the heavy flooding, the ambulance could not get to his house.

Sapphaya district has been pretty much underwater since earlier this week after the Chao Phraya Dam began releasing water in advance of heavy rain expected in the north until Monday. In the Pho Nang Kham Dock subdistrict where Wat Phai Lom is located, many people did not have time to move their things, or their aged relatives, to higher ground, out of harm’s way.

The Thai Meteorological Department said on Friday that the heavy rain was a result of tropical storm Noru, now weakening over Myanmar.

People living near waterways in 11 provinces, including Bangkok, have been warned of a rise of up to 66 centimetres in the Chao Phraya River this weekend due to heavy downpours.

The warning on Thursday from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation was directed to Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Chai Nat, Lop Buri, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri and Uthai Thani, especially to people living outside embankments and in low-lying areas, and to business operators and workers on the banks of the river.

Source The Nation