PM orders 76 provinces to prepare for October 4–5 rain
Anutin orders faster drainage in Bangkok and separate damage assessments as Thailand’s disaster insurance covers 30 million households from October 1
- Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered governors in all 76 provinces to prepare for widespread thundershowers predicted for October 4–5.
- The directive instructs agencies to prepare personnel, equipment, essential supplies, and emergency shelters for potential flooding.
- Specific instructions were issued to accelerate water drainage using pumping stations and to keep assistance, such as food and water, continuously available for victims.
- The Prime Minister also mandated that all agencies use a single, unified set of data when communicating with the public to prevent confusion.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered governors in all 76 provinces on Friday (October 2, 2026) to prepare for possible widespread thundershowers on October 4–5, citing a Thai Meteorological Department assessment. He warned that weather conditions remained uncertain despite signs that the flood situation was improving.
Anutin instructed agencies to prepare personnel, tools and equipment, food and essential supplies, alongside plans for shelters and emergency operations. Authorities must remain ready for flooding in other areas even as conditions improve in places already affected.
The prime minister chaired a meeting of the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), continuing flood-response discussions for a third consecutive day. Governors from 76 provinces joined by videoconference.
Participants included Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Paradorn Prissananantakul and Defence Minister Lt Gen Adul Boonthumjaroen, alongside other officials.
Anutin thanked those attending and noted the participation of the deputy prime minister responsible for flood operations in the Central region. The meeting was intended to review progress and adjust operations to rapidly changing conditions.
Anutin demands one set of flood data
Anutin instructed every agency to use the same information when communicating with the public and assessing the flood situation.
“I must emphasise that all agencies should use a single set of data in their communications to prevent public confusion and ensure that everyone assesses the situation on the same basis,” Anutin said.
Anutin said the overall flood situation was improving, with agencies accelerating work in critical areas, coordinating assistance to reach affected communities more widely and deploying operational teams to provide support on all fronts.
Agencies must monitor progress, obtain the latest information from affected areas and continually review their response plans, Anutin added. Requests for support and reports of local problems should inform decisions and help authorities deliver more effective relief.
Anutin orders faster drainage and continued shelter readiness
Anutin ordered pumping stations to accelerate drainage and called for water-propulsion equipment to move water across and along the drainage network, including canals connected to drainage tunnels, particularly in Bangkok.
Authorities must identify installation points and closely monitor drainage operations to reduce conflicts between neighbouring areas, Anutin said. Measures to prevent water spilling over both canal banks should also help move water towards the sea more quickly and reduce the impact on communities.
Every province was instructed to maintain continuous assistance for flood victims, including food, drinking water and toilets, while keeping shelters ready for use at all times.
October 1 cut-off determines damage assessment arrangements
Anutin ordered provinces where flooding was easing to accelerate comprehensive damage surveys and assessments so residents could receive assistance promptly under the relevant rules.
Provincial authorities must divide damage records into two categories:
- Damage occurring before October 1: Assistance follows the DDPM’s existing relief regulations.
- Damage occurring from October 1 onwards: Assessments fall under the arrangements for the government’s disaster insurance programme
covering 30 million households, subject to the policy’s terms.
Anutin said assistance criteria and standards would be based largely on those used by the DDPM. The government’s official insurance launch announcement confirms that coverage began on October 1.
Supervising ministers, the DDPM director-general and all provincial governors were instructed to understand the rules and explain them accurately to officials responsible for damage surveys and assessments.
Insurance-company assessors are also to participate in evaluating losses. Anutin stressed that everyone involved must understand the policy conditions so residents receive fair insurance payments, with equitable treatment for both insurers and policyholders.
Anutin also instructed Ekniti to direct the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) to act as an impartial intermediary between insurers and policyholders.
The instruction included urgent coordination over flood-damaged property, vehicles, pushcarts and motorcycles where insurance coverage exists, following the approach previously used in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province.
