Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Condition of House Structure and Components
As the flooding was a slow-onset
disaster, most of the housing did
not suffer severe damage. More
damage was observed on household
goods. There were exceptions
where dams were breached or in
one case observed, a combination
of weak structure, water current and
wind brought the collapse of a house.
In field visits, respondents reported
significant damage to household
goods but almost no damage to
houses. There were few complaints
by affected families concerning their houses, except that the floors were not high enough
– this time. In several locations also the second floor was under water. Observed damage
include:
• Foundations – no case of settlement, movement, cracks.
• Little damage to timber components, except doors and window frames expanded;
some fungi around columns and lower parts of cabinets was reported, on ceilings
of some ground floors.
• Locks and hinges had started to corrode.
• Electrical wiring was intact in all places, though careful inspection will have to be
done, by skilled personnel. Fuse boxes have been quickly removed or moved to
higher spots. In places visited, people reported that the electrical company had
shut down the power network and only turned it on again after it was completely
dry and all panels had been checked.
• Water supply installation was intact in all places, and meters were all running
normally even where the house has totally collapsed. Taps in those houses were
working well, and water was clear and odorless.
• All septic tanks were inundated, although part of the toilet units were placed
upstairs. Concerning this, no health issues were found in the field visits like
chikungunya and diarrhea. One case of rash on a baby was reported in Bangkok.
Thorough draining and drying of soil around houses and in high density areas will
be required, in addition to spraying of disinfectants and repellents against of
mosquito breeding.
• Aside from the DDPM, the National Housing Authority (NHA) provided some
information on multistory housing (flats), although it was limited to government-built
housing within the last five years. It is expected that this information can be
extrapolated to multistory housing in general. Although necessary to provide
indications of losses due to non-performing loans (in the Financial sector), the
team has not yet succeeded in getting information related to housing loans.
THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING
155