Sa Kaeo hospitals flooded

He said Tambon Non Mak Moon and Tambon Klong Takian health-promotion hospitals had been forced to temporarily stop offering services because they were under water. 

“Floodwater levels there are between 50 and 70 centimetres.” 

Pradit said he also ordered hospitals in Lop Buri and Ayutthaya to closely monitor the flood situation.

“[If the flood threat is imminent] medical supplies and medicines must be moved to safe areas. Power reserves must be available to ensure that floods won’t disrupt the electrical system and treatment for patients,” he said. 

The armed forces are now delivering help to flood victims in various provinces. Since last Wednesday, flooding has already ravaged many provinces in the country including Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin, Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Kanchana-buri, Nakhon Nayok, Ayutthaya, Angthong, Sing Buri, Lop Buri, Nakhon Sawan, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, and Prachin Buri. 

“We have deployed flat-bottomed boats to help victims move their properties to higher ground. We have also fixed bridges that were damaged by raging floodwaters,” Defence Ministry spokesman Thanatip Sawangsang said. 

He said PM Yingluck Shinawatra had instructed the Armed Forces Headquarters to support relevant agencies in flood-relief operations to minimise damage or casualties. 

Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, in his capacity as chair of the Water and Flood Management Commission, was most concerned about Ayutthaya. He said people living along the Chao Phraya could be affected the most, as farmers were releasing water from paddy fields to prepare for harvesting.

Ayutthaya Governor Wittaya Phewpong said the river had already overflowed in eight districts. 

As for the situation in Bangkok, Thanatip said the Navy had deployed 16 boats to use their propellers to push floodwater to less flood-prone areas of the capital such as Bang Khen and Thawi Watthana canals. 

“We want to assure Bangkok residents that they won’t face a repeat of the 2011 flood crisis,” he said.