Bangkok: "Anutin" assigned governors across the country to prepare plans for flood prevention and response. Reduce the loss of life and property of the people. Ms. Traisulee Traisanakul, Secretary to the Minister of Interior and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, said that the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command (NPCC) has joined with the Meteorological Department. It is predicted that at the end of May 2024, Thailand will enter the rainy season. Temperatures will begin to drop, heavy rain will occur and flash floods may occur. Flash flood In order to prevent and reduce impacts on people's lives, property, and agricultural areas. as well as government property, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior As Commander of the Provincial Waterworks Authority, he has been assigned to the governors of every province. and Bangkok Prepare for protection. and have a response plan to solve the flood problem. Throughout the upcoming rainy season of 2024 To be ready a nd able to reduce the damage that will happen to the people as much as possible. 'Mr. Anutin is concerned about the people affected by the disaster. which during the rainy season every year causes widespread loss of life and property. Especially this year around the world Including Thailand facing extreme weather conditions, extremely hot, and various institutions It is expected that there will be a La Niña phenomenon during the rainy season. That is, there may be more rainfall than normal. including severe storms As Commander of the Public Health Promotion Center, he assigned and instructed that Every province and Bangkok must prepare plans to be ready to help the people effectively,' Ms. Traisulee said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said that in the preparation section, the Minister of Interior has given all provinces/Bangkok Establish a working group to monitor the weather conditions. that consists of representatives from both forecasting agencies Water management and the government Review inc ident response plans in each province. By paying attention to the latest information including parts of risk areas, machinery, materials, equipment, and information on vulnerable groups of people. Designation of safe points/areas Plan for evacuating people to safe areas Carry out security checks on water storage facilities such as reservoirs, weirs, water barriers, as well as the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Division at each level. Linked in the matter of systematic drainage Especially the responsibility boundary area in the area where water flows through. Plan the installation of disaster machinery in advance in high-risk areas, such as community areas, economically important areas, important places, transportation routes. Including setting up a disaster notification system to be able to reach people through all channels efficiently. Ms. Trisulee said that part of the incident response plan If a flood, storm, or landslide occurs or is expected to occur, the provincial, district, and emergency operati ons centers of local government organizations (Local Administrative Organizations) must be established as command centers. Mobilize forces from various agencies Both civil service, military, local government organizations, and charity organizations. to provide assistance Manage the situation effectively Both the surveillance part Opening waterways, accelerating drainage, providing assistance to people in livelihoods, housing, and transportation during the incident. without causing overlapping problems among agencies In this regard, the Provincial Waterworks Authority has reported information on the impact of the flood situation on people's lives and property during the past 2021-23 as follows: 1) In 2021, floods occurred in areas of 69 provinces, including 548 districts/districts, 3,026 sub-districts/districts. Subdistrict/subdistrict 21,990 villages/communities A total of 321,870 households were affected, with 11 deaths and 19,132 homes damaged. 2) In 2022, there were floods in 74 provinces, including 715 districts/districts, 4,201 subdistricts/local administrative organizations/subdistricts, 32,005 villages/communities. 769,889 households were affected, with 21 deaths and 37,255 homes damaged. 3) In 2023, there were floods in 67 provinces, including 547 districts/districts, 2,752 subdistricts/local administrative organizations/subdistricts, 17,454 villages/communities. 42,058 households were affected and 34,731 homes were damaged. Source: Thai News Agency