Actress Aum Patchara Stranded 8 Days in Flooded Home

Thai superstar actress Aum Patchara returned to open her AumAum market again on the first floor of Central Ladprao, ready to give an interview updating her home after the recent flooding in her village soi. She revealed she was stuck in her house for eight days, unable to go anywhere. Her dog house and knockdown building were damaged, forcing her to take refuge upstairs. At one point she practiced rowing a boat to prepare for emergencies, but bought the wrong type — just shifting her weight slightly caused it to capsize. The whole household tried rowing but couldn't manage it. She feared snakes and centipedes coming with the floodwater and now wants to move, requesting a new house raised high on stilts.

Update on the flooded house — how is it now? "Okay, now we've started repairing a little bit. The main house wasn't reached, but the dog house right next to it got hit. That day we were very panicked."

How bad is the damage? "There's the dog house and the knockdown building — they're ruined, paint peeled, damp, we had to flee upstairs, it's a lot."

What was it like when you saw water surrounding the house? "That day I was sitting with a friend. My friend drove out and felt the water was really high. The friend told me to go buy drinking water reserves first. We sent the driver to buy. Didn't think by morning it would reach the garage inside the house, almost reaching the dog room, but my main house is raised higher."

How severe was this time? "Very heavy. Because my village already has a problem — my soi floods whenever it rains. The water never used to dry in front of my house when it rained. But this time it was much heavier, it rose higher."

How many days before the water receded? "Seven to eight days, not sure. But in our house we have pumps and sandbags."

How difficult was life when the water stagnated in front of the house? "Difficult. Couldn't go out to buy food, and the neighborhood ran out of everything. We had to rely on older siblings delivering food by ten-wheel and six-wheel trucks every three days. They brought food each time. We ate so much delicious food we got fat."

So you couldn't go anywhere at all during that period? "Couldn't go out at all, for eight days. Behind my house there was no water, but in front there was water and we couldn't get out. My house is in a village where you have to circle out — I have to pass the front of the house, so I couldn't."

Another cute moment allowed neighbors to come receive dog food and medicine because you knew some were lacking? "Most weren't lacking. Most people stock dog and cat food. We checked and they had it. But human food they didn't have because people weren't prepared. But dog food everyone had. Most had it. But we told them our house has a lot stocked, whoever lacks can come pick up at our house — but they'd have to row a boat over."

You were seen practicing rowing in front of the house? "Bought the wrong boat. I had my older sibling buy one. He brought this kind of boat — just shifting my bottom a little and I fell in. It was a different type of boat, so later we bought a new one."

Did you row out to buy things? "Actually I really needed to go pick up my mom. Mom went to watch the dogs by the road. Mom said she was scared the dogs would wait — there are stray dogs that wait there. If she went, who would pick her up? Mom told us to practice together. Practiced but couldn't do it. However we rowed, we couldn't manage. Tried practicing all together, didn't work. The sibling teaching had to leave. Around 6 p.m. he had to go back, didn't stay until 8-9 p.m. when mom came home. Didn't work. So told mom to find her own way back. Mom hired the sibling to stay and wait to pull the boat because mom didn't dare row. Actually it should be a flat-bottomed boat, right? So it won't rock. In front of the house normally, if it's not flooded, there are centipedes and snakes — they come almost every day because that area is forest. They come almost daily. Oh my, we saw a snake pass in front of the house. If I fell in, what would I do?"