Sattahip sends truckloads of flood relief to Prachinburi
Auk Pansaa, the end of
Buddhist Lent, in theory signals the end of the rainy season in
Thailand. This cannot come too soon for some families in the region, as
shown by this mother and child, smiling in the face of adversity from
the steps of their flooded home in Prachinburi, waiting patiently for
relief aid from local authorities.
Patcharapol Panrak
Sattahip and Royal Thai Marines officials sent a convoy of
trucks stuffed with relief supplies to aid flood victims in Prachinburi.
District Chief Radjai Banthitsilp and Stability Department head Chawat
Thepthup led a special unit from the National Command Center for Drugs
to drive two six-wheeled trucks donated by the marines to Bansarang to
distribute 1,000 bags of food and necessities.
Village chiefs there said about 400 households, mostly farmers, ranchers
and fishermen, have been hit hard by seasonal flooding. More than 3,000
rai of agricultural land has been inundated with water as deep as three
meters. Some homes were submerged to their roofs.
Some residents have been living in tents for a month, eating what fish
they can catch. Government aid has been slow coming.
The Sattahip supplies weren’t easy to deliver. The heavy trucks
eventually gave way to boats which brought aid down the flooded streets
in Prachinburi.
Relief workers paddle to
inundated homes, bringing what relief supplies they can.
