Paetongtarn eyes national disaster centre to handle floods, droughts
The aim is to ensure timely assistance is delivered to affected areas and prevention measures put in place where possible, says spokesman
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will on Tuesday ask the Cabinet to consider setting up a national disaster centre, the government spokesman said.
Government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said the prime minister wants to put a national committee in charge of
the national disaster centre, which will oversee relief and prevention operations for natural disasters, including floods and drought.
Jirayu said this centre will respond immediately when a natural disaster takes place, no matter whether it is a storm, forest fire, landslide or flood. He spoke to reporters after meeting the prime minister at her office in Government House on Monday.
The spokesman said the PM had explained to him the government’s policies for managing and handling natural disasters, including the ongoing floods in the North and South of the country. He said the premier wanted him to explain to the public that the government will attend to all situations equally, no matter where they took place.
The government will also use a model to rehabilitate the flood-damaged towns, like Mae Sai in Chiang Rai, he said, adding that the rehabilitation will be divided into short-, middle- and long-term plans.
The government has approved a budget of almost 20 billion baht for the rehabilitation of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai after the floods. The premier plans to use the same model for rehabilitating flood-hit provinces in the South as well, he said.
“Rehabilitation in the South will be carried out in the second phase once the floods recede, and the same model will be used as in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and other regions,” Jirayu said.
The spokesman said Paetongtarn will consult with the Cabinet at the Tuesday meeting before she decides on when or whether she will visit the South.
