Thailand’s deluge, which began in late July, is the worst in fifty years. It has reached a third of Thailand’s 77 provinces, killed more than 500 people, left tens of thousands homeless, wiped out factories, and destroyed farmland equal to 13 times the size of Hong Kong.

At SOS-Bangpoo there is no immediate threat of floods at present, but even with the move back, SOS staff remain on high alert.

Thai authorities have emergency plans in place to drain the water if it rushes the barriers in the Samutparkarn area. Samutparkarn, a Thai province, also refers to a town that is seven miles from SOS-Bangpoo and is the site of an SOS youth facility for children transitioning into adulthood. The town lies at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, which flows through Bangkok into the Gulf of Thailand and swells with the gulf’s high tides.

Although flooding has receded in some parts of Bangkok, according to Reuters, water is still high on the Chao Phraya River’s west bank. The inundation also remains east of Bangkok, where the government has diverted floodwater in order to protect the capital’s central district.

Since 1974, SOS-Bangpoo has provided for vulnerable Thai children

SOS has been raising vulnerable Thai children in warm and loving homes since 1974. SOS-Bangpoo, one of five SOS Children’s Villages in Thailand and the first in that country, also runs a kindergarten that is open to neighborhood children.

The top priority of SOS in any national crisis is to protect the children under its care and ensure the safety of its local staff. Whenever possible, SOS also provides emergency relief to families in the areas in which it operates.