Prayut orders faster assistance for people hit by floods, storms

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has told the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to speed up relief operations for people affected by floods and storms, a top official said on Wednesday.

Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said that Prayut was concerned about people affected by storms and floods recently and did not want them to wait too long for help.

The prime minister has instructed the department to work proactively with local administrations to survey the affected people and pay compensation to them as soon as possible.

The spokesman said Prayut wanted local administrations to send officials to survey the damage as soon as there is flooding or a storm hits their area.

The local administrations must also make sure that the interests of people in their jurisdictions will not be jeopardised by the natural disasters, the spokesman quoted Prayut as saying. Prayut orders faster assistance for people hit by floods, storms

“The prime minister instructed the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to speed up coordination with provincial administrations or other agencies to survey the damage and provide primary help,” Thanakorn said.

“The agencies must immediately repair damaged houses so the affected people will have shelters.”

The spokesman said Prayut had also instructed the Royal Thai Army to deploy engineering corps to help repair houses damaged by storms and flooding.

Prayut orders faster assistance for people hit by floods, storms Thailand is now under the influence of southwest monsoon over the Andaman and the Gulf of Thailand and a high-pressure mass from China that has brought thunderstorms and heavy rains to many parts of the country. People should monitor weather warnings from the government constantly, the spokesman added.