Flood!

Ankle deep water in the house for week? No problem.
Thailand is flooded. At least where I’m staying.
After witnessing the lack of concern the Thai people held for the military coup, I was not surprised by the nonchalant attitude toward the recent flooding in central and southern Thailand. For three weeks, water slowly crept into the homes of many residents of Ayutthaya, Thailand. I have befriended a local Thai family who lives near the river where I’ve spent a lot of time watching the flood rise higher and come closer.

When the water started to creep up the riverbank, I was anticipating mass chaos as the Thai ran for cover. This is when I learned that water floods and people move slowly in Thailand. At the speed of a few inches a day, it seemed that the water would never climb the distance required to touch most homes.
When the neighbors were hauling armfuls of clothing through knee deep water, my friend Roy still stood strong in his opinion that the water would never come the additional few feet to reach his front door.
Before the river itself reached the house, water started to come up through the drainage system on the streets. It kept coming up filling the streets and into the houses.
The flood has come and the water doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Each day brings a new report of when the flooding will peak, and of how long it will take for things to return to a normal, dry state of existence.
In the past three weeks, sand bags started appearing on major roadways most likely to flood and eventually water could be seen at the same height on the other side.

A wall was built to keep the water out of the cement house where I was staying. The wall cost 4 baht a brick; the total cost was roughly $25. The walls were built two feet high like small fortresses outside of the front and back doors.
Like the sandbags, the walls only keep out some of the water. They are porous, allowing water to seep in. Water has also come into the house through the drains and between the floor tiles.
In Thai households the kitchen and bathroom floors are set a few inches lower than the main living spaces. Thus the kitchen and bathroom were the first to flood. My reaction was to bake a cake while standing in ankle deep water. There are no traditional ovens, so I baked in a counter top model. All outlets in the house are at waist level or higher, so I was not concerned about electric shock.
But a few days afterwards I heard of a man who died from receiving a shock when plugging something in at his house.
As I was typing at the computer I felt water tickle my toes. I thought it was coming up over the doorway, but it was seeping through the walls. The young adults of the house quickly paused their movie, moved the couch to higher ground and emptied the lower shelves of DVDs and computer equipment. Within five minuets, they were seated on plastic chairs and the movie resumed.
To leave the house and stay dry wee need a boat. Cell phones are quite common, so I simply dial the number for one of the neighborhood boat operators. If I reach a Thai individual who doesn’t speak English they knows right where to go if I say “ban farang,” meaning house of foreigner. She will paddle her long wooden boat through the front gate, right up to the front steps. The ride takes us four blocks to higher, dry land. It cost $.25 or $.50 per person, depending on the driver.


As cool as it was originally once I knew I was safe, it gets old after a while being wet all the time. The Thai don’t seem to mind. Government takeover and two inches of water in the house never stopped them from doing much.
It’s a unique experience to see everyone calm in the face of a flooded house. People aren’t as scared as you might think.