UPDATE - November 2, 2011: As of Wednesday, SOS Children's Villages-Bangpoo, southeast of Bangkok, has not been affected by the recent flooding in Thailand.
As a precautionary measure, SOS Children's Villages has evacuated younger children and SOS Mothers from the SOS Village to higher ground in Chonburi province, 2 hours east of the Village. Some SOS staff and youths have stayed behind to look after the property.
SOS Children's Villages International is monitoring the situation in Thailand and hopes to move the families back into their homes as soon as possible.
- - - - - -
UPDATE - October 28, 2011: Flooding in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, is getting worse. Today, water flowing from the north to the Gulf of Thailand flooded areas alongside the Chao Praya River where the river meets the gulf. Experts believe that flooding will become critical between October 28 and 31 as the sea level rises and river water continues to flow south from the north.
Currently, the SOS Children's Village in Bangpoo, Thailand, cares for 116 children. In total there are five family-based care programs in Thailand. Children, SOS Mothers, and staff intend to stay in the houses as long as it is safe to do so but have made arrangements to relocate if necessary.
- - - - - -
UPDATE - October 27, 2011: In two weeks, the death toll has risen to over 350 people. Despite attempts to divert the flood waters away from Bangkok, it has become apparent that not all parts of the capital can be spared. Residents in some districts of Bangkok are being told to evacuate to higher ground while many others are being placed on high alert.
- - - - - -
October 13, 2011: The worst deluge in half a century has hit 30 of Thailand’s 77 provinces, killing 270 people and stranding thousands. The severe rains and mudslides have destroyed farmland equal to 13 times the size of Hong Kong. At least 700,000 homes have been washed away or damaged. The waters are now threatening Bangkok.
According to Reuters’ AlertNet, a partial estimate of damage in the central province of Ayutthaya alone is $645 million. Some 200 factories there, including a Honda Motor Company plant, were forced to close. So far, three evacuation centers have been set up in the province.
SOS Children’s Villages is not yet affected, although SOS-Bangpoo, located in a Bangkok suburb, is taking safety precautions. Like SOS Children’s Villages around the world, SOS-Bangpoo, one of five SOS Children’s Villages in Thailand, has evacuation plans in place in case of emergency.
Bracing for More Damage and an Economic Blow
Officials in Bangkok are readying plans in case residents in the city of 12 million require evacuation. The Chao Phraya river, which cuts through Thailand’s capital, is already high.
Due to the floods, Thailand’s commerce ministry has revised its forecast for rice, which farmers were just beginning to harvest, from 25 million tons to 21 million tons. Thailand is the world's biggest exporter of rice. The devastation to the rice crop will drive up its export price. Tourism, an important revenue source for Thailand, is also suffering. Water has flooded the ancient capital Ayutthaya, whose temple's ruins are a big tourist attraction.
Thailand’s population is not unfamiliar with the destruction that monsoons can bring. A 1988 flood killed more than 600 people, and 231 people perished in a 1995 flood, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
SOS in Thailand for Almost Forty Years
SOS has been raising vulnerable Thai children in warm and loving homes since 1974. SOS-Bangpoo, the first SOS Children’s Village in Thailand, 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.
You can help rebuild the life of a child by donating to SOS Children's Villages now.