Flood Update

Remember that dusty, dry patch of land that was transformed into a lush green field with a cow grazing on it? Well, here it is now...

... the perfect breeding ground for frogs, mosquitos and plastic bags.

I am really counting my blessings with this flood situation. Several people who work at the WE office have been very badly affected. One lady is stranded in her home, unable to be reached even by boat. Another girl had many of her possessions washed away when the flood waters rose very rapidly and surged through her house. She is now staying with relatives. In the light of all of that, a bit of rainwater leaking in through the window onto my kitchen work surface seems neither here nor there!

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that, during heavy rain, the reservoir above the town becomes dangerously full, so they have to release the water. This adds to the volume of water in the already over-full river and canal, making the floods even worse. They make an announcement over the loudspeakers when they are going to release the water, but for people whose houses are in the affected areas there is not much they can do - their houses will be flooded, and that's that. They released the water yesterday and again today, and it is still raining...

Here is a clip from the Thai TV news about a brand new school in the Mae Sot area that collapsed, presumably when the land gave way due to the heavy rain. Thankfully, the children were not there at the time. We had a meeting today with the directors of two of the centres we are working with, and during the meeting one of them received a phone call to say that the centre had been flooded.

The forecast is for the rain to continue at least for the next few days. I was having a look at World Weather Online, and I could not help a wry smile at this piece of advice in their weather summary for Mae Sot for the coming week: "Make sure to carry an umbrella if you are out and about in Mae Sot, Thailand." Make sure you have a canoe might be more realistic advice!