Anutin orders unified flood response in emergency meeting from London

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul held an emergency video conference from London on Saturday (September 26) to review flooding across several parts of Thailand, ordering all agencies to work as a single team and deliver assistance to affected communities as quickly as possible.

Anutin was in the United Kingdom on the final leg of an overseas mission covering Japan, the United States and Britain.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, along with ministers and officials joining remotely.

Participants included Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, who is overseeing the situation; Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob; Deputy Interior Minister Jeseth Thaiseth; and representatives of the Thai Meteorological Department, Office of the National Water Resources, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), Royal Irrigation Department and other agencies.

The governors of Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi also joined the meeting.

Anutin tells agencies to work as one team

Opening the meeting, Anutin said that although he was carrying out official duties overseas, he had been following the flood situation closely and remained concerned about people affected by the disaster.

He called the video conference to receive the latest information directly and review the progress of response operations.

“I want every agency to work together efficiently and provide as much assistance to the public as possible,” he said.

Anutin placed particular emphasis on Bangkok, insisting that flood response in the capital should not be regarded solely as the responsibility of the Bangkok governor.

“There must be no saying that this is the Bangkok governor’s problem,” he said. “This is work that every agency must carry out together.”

Single set of data needed for water management

Anutin noted that the current flooding involved several factors, including rainfall within affected areas, accumulated water, upstream flows and the drainage capacity of individual locations.

Water management therefore had to be approached as an interconnected system rather than through separate operations, with agencies using the same information when making decisions.

He instructed weather, water-management and disaster-response agencies, Bangkok and surrounding provinces, as well as transport, security and public-assistance agencies, to maintain continuous information sharing and operational coordination.

Particular attention should be given to high-risk areas and vulnerable groups, with preparations made before emergencies occur rather than after conditions deteriorate, he said.

“What people need from the government now is accurate information, rapid warnings, clear travel routes and assistance that reaches them in time,” Anutin said.

He instructed agencies to report conditions accurately and communicate information to the public in the clearest possible way.

Responsibilities and resources must be clear

Anutin said the meeting should establish a clear operational picture covering which areas required close monitoring, which agencies were responsible for particular tasks, where personnel and equipment needed to be positioned and how agencies would coordinate if conditions changed.

“Every agency must work as one team, with the safety and hardship of the people as the priority,” he said. “Everything must be coordinated and carried out as quickly as possible.”

The government had already ordered Bangkok and provinces nationwide to prepare response teams and disaster-relief machinery for the risk of flash floods, run-off, landslides and waterlogging during September 23-27.

Anutin is scheduled to return from London to Thailand on Sunday morning.

 

For those who wish to help our fellow citizens suffering and affected by the floods, you can make a donation through the following accounts:

Nation Foundation

Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri): Account No. 333-0-01399-6

Kasikorn Bank: Account No. 192-3-59782-0

"We will get through this crisis together."