After over a month of flooding in the North of Bangkok we were warned by the Thai government to prepare for the huge water mass to pass through Bangkok as it drains out through the sea. Over the last week this water has reached the northern parts of the city and in some areas, up to 1.5m high it has brought with it snakes, crocodiles, disease. In some ways it seems only fair that the people of Bangkok should bear the same burden as their neighbours in the North but this is flooding on a scale that few have witnessed and as it enters one of the most populated cities in the world. With an estimated 12m people living in the greater Bangkok area the damage is hard to fathom.
The statistics so far show that over 2m people have been affected across the country, 437 have died, and many more are in hospital. Tens of thousands have lost their homes, their jobs, their communities. As the water enters Bangkok so far 1.7m people in the capital, across 10 districts have been issued evacuation warnings.
One of the things that I've heard again and again is that once the water hits an area it rises quickly soon filling the whole region. In many cases people report waking up to see their street sewers slightly overflowing and within a day the water level has risen to ankle height.
I've been in Bangkok for the last few months watching the drama unfold. I've been writing and recording my acoustic album. I chose not to leave during this crisis as my apartment is relatively high up and well looked after. I also have a lot of work to do and I have had and are having some good friends visiting from the UK that I don't want to miss. I've stocked up with food and water as recommended and prepared as best as I can for the flood waters. After weeks of warnings they finally arrived at my street on Friday November 4th and as I'm still here I've decided to document the changes in a series of mini videos to track how the water levels affect the area and change things within a few days.
As a little disclaimer! I'm not a professional reporter and my reports are not supposed to cover all aspects of the flooding. For the most part they are just my thoughts and opinions on what is happening so I can't assure their statistical accuracy at times! It's more of a of diary for me and a way of keeping in touch with my friends and family back in the UK and elsewhere. I know very well that others in the country are struggling at the moment and these videos are presented with the deepest respect for that fact and I have tried to do and continue to do as much as I can to support relief efforts for those less fortunate. There is a phrase in Thailand 'mai pen rai' which says so much about the Thai spirit. It basically means 'that's alright' or 'it's cool!'. Despite all the problems people realise that life goes on and the Thai spirit is strong; people keep smiling and fighting. Everyone knows that together we will get through this. Ultimately I hope you'll find my videos to be informative and occasional entertaining.
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Bangkok Flood Nov 6 2011by theokhan1,821 views
Thanks for you video John. I arrive in Thailand on Dec. 2nd so I'm very interested in any thing to do with the present flooding. Be safe and thanks again for your vids.
Buzzy
jbuzzy 3 months ago 2
@jbuzzy Thanks Buzzy! Hopefully everything will be fine by the time you get here. Good luck.
johndangmusic 3 months ago
When will you be back in the UK? Lots to talk about mate when your free. Another interesting video, hope the river subsides soon!
andrewjsykes 3 months ago 2
@andrewjsykes Sure Andrew. See you back in the UK! Glad to hear everything is going well! :)
johndangmusic 3 months ago