PM Issues Four Flood Orders, Calls for Accurate Forecasts
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered four measures to manage flooding and prepare for additional rain, stressing accurate forecasting during the upcoming IMF‑World Bank meeting. The directives include early warnings before water releases, rapid clean‑up and restoration, swift damage assessments and aid distribution, and detailed evacuation plans for vulnerable groups. So far 48,600 households have received assistance, about 12 % of the projected total.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chaired the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command meeting via video conference to monitor flood situations and public assistance. He issued four directives: first, the Irrigation Department must coordinate with provinces, districts and local authorities to communicate and give advance notice before any water release that could affect residents, and to manage situations carefully to reduce impacts and avoid conflicts. Second, authorities must speed up cleaning, safety inspections and the return of areas to the public, with provinces and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration mobilizing personnel to clear debris and restore flooded zones, supported by military and other agencies. Third, local organizations must quickly and completely assess damage to homes, property and agricultural livelihoods, submitting data incrementally so district and provincial committees can promptly forward information to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department for action. Fourth, preparations for additional rainfall must be made, with officials following emergency plans rigorously, continuously issuing warnings, and planning evacuations for at-risk communities, especially the elderly, bedridden patients and other vulnerable groups, while also continuing relief payments—48,600 households have already received assistance, about 12 % of the expected total—and using budgets correctly and transparently. The meeting also called for advance surveys of vulnerable residents’ homes, pre‑emptive evacuations, and applying lessons from last year’s Songkhla flood where bedridden patients were not moved in time. Finally, provinces not at risk and local administrations were told to check the readiness of equipment such as water trucks, mobile toilets, pumps and haulage vehicles to support affected areas when needed.
