Flood victims to receive maximum 230,000 baht per household
Prime Minister assures households affected by floods of financial support, sets up centre to supervise relief efforts
The government will provide a maximum of 230,000 baht in financial aid to every household affected by floods in several provinces, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Monday.
This money is on top of the 40,000 to 50,000 baht compensation being paid for other cases, such as deaths, PM’s secretary-general Prommin Lertsuridej, added.
Paetongtarn said that she would propose to the Cabinet that 3 billion baht be disbursed from the central budget for flood relief during the meeting on Tuesday.
After meeting with the Flood, Storm and Mudslide Situation Administration and Management Committee on Monday, the PM said the government would establish the Flood Situation Administration and Management Support Centre to supervise the flood situation and relief efforts.
The centre will be chaired by Deputy PM and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, with Deputy PM and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul serving as deputy chairman.
Paetongtarn said the flood levels in the Northeastern region are rising, while the inundations in the North are now stable despite heavy rains in some areas.
She added that provincial authorities are monitoring the flow of water and will alert provinces located downstream to prepare for possible flooding, including announcing flood warnings and evacuation plans for people in risky areas.
The PM insisted that people must be warned of incoming floods several days in advance.
She said that the Army Area 2 is now standing by in Ubon Ratchathani, the last province in the Northeast to receive water from Mekong River before it flows into Laos to prevent overflows.
Officials believed that the situation this year should not be worse than in previous years, the PM said.
She added that the Chao Phraya River still has the capacity to receive more water, so runoff from the flooding will not affect the Bangkok metropolitan area.
Paetongtarn said she has also discussed with the Interior Ministry a waiver on power and water bills for September, and offer a 30% discount for October to reduce people’s financial burden during the flood situation.
“If the situation worsens or is prolonged, more aid measures will be considered,” she said.
