Rescuers Brave Floods to Save 18 Cats, 80-Year-Old Woman

On the evening of October 2, heavy rain fell in Mueang Chachoengsao and Ban Pho districts. Water levels in many areas rose continuously.

Amid the continuing heavy downpour, Chachoengsao rescue workers together with Poh Teck Tung Foundation staff deployed boats to fight the currents and assist residents and pets affected by the flooding.

The first mission came when a cat owner in Soi Ban Don Thong-Nong Wiang 1, Moo 2, Don Thong subdistrict, Ban Pho district, Chachoengsao requested help. A cage outside the house held 18 Persian cats, and rising water threatened to submerge them. Rescue workers brought a boat through the rain and currents to the house, where they found the owner, a woman, trying to move all 18 cats to higher ground, especially the roof, as water had already reached the cats' legs.

Led by Nakorn Seeharit, the Chachoengsao rescue team built a temporary shelter for the cats by lifting the cage onto the roof. They moved all 18 cats upstairs, covered the cage with a roof to protect against the night's rain, and placed food inside so the cats could eat through the night. The cats could not be taken to an evacuation center because some evacuees had cat allergies. After securing the cats, the team evacuated the owner, who planned to return by boat the next morning to check on and feed the cats.

Another mission that night involved rescuing an 80-year-old bedridden woman with diabetes, high blood pressure, and pressure sores on her leg who had been trapped in her house for four days. Rescue workers boated through floodwaters deeper than 1.5 meters, urgently moved the grandmother onto the boat, and transferred her via rescue vehicle to Ban Pho Hospital safely.

Kongkiat Phutthirangsimaphon