BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand has begun distributing the first tranche of 9,000-baht emergency relief to approximately 26,000 households affected by massive flooding in the South, spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat of the Emergency Flood Situation Center confirmed.
The focus has now shifted to full recovery efforts, with policy guidelines for long-term provincial remediation set for discussion by the Economic Policy Committee today at 1:30 PM.
Infrastructure restoration is underway: Songkhla’s water supply is at 80% and aims for 100% restoration by Wednesday, December 3. Cleanup efforts have been escalated, with private contractors brought in to meet the Provincial Administrative Organization’s targets of a seven-day timeline for residents to re-enter homes and 14 days for Hat Yai and Songkhla to be clean.
Relief aid is being adjusted following the Prime Minister’s quality concerns, with the switch from boxed meals to 103 community kitchens in Hat Yai.
Meanwhile, compensation for fatalities, previously set at 2 million baht under the Emergency Decree, is being reviewed to ensure eligibility covers the multi-province scale of the disaster, including indirect deaths like those of kidney patients. The Ministry of Public Health will issue an update on the official death toll and public health measures at 4:00 PM today. (TNA)
