Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Figure 1:
Map of the maximum
extent of the floods:
September – November
2011
1.3 The Human Toll
At the time of writing, more than 680 lives had been lost due to the floods and the accumulated
affected population 5 was estimated at 13.57 million people 6 . Reports suggest the
majority of deaths – particularly amongst children – were caused by drowning. A significant
number were due to electrocution. Despite months of continuous flooding, assessments
found that the majority of families stayed in their homes when possible. With the slow
progression of the floodwaters, affected populations varied significantly over the weeks,
peaking at 5.31 million people affected in the weeks that floodwaters inundated large parts
of Bangkok. At the peak, more than 2,600 shelters housed more than 165,000 people 7 .
The Ministry of Public Health reported mental health diagnoses amongst flood victims
including high levels of stress, depression, suicide risks and people requiring special care.
At the time of writing, flooding continues in more than 15 provinces 8 , and the toll on the
human condition amongst those affected can be expected to rise until at least the flood
waters have receded. But the road to normalcy may be long as the considerable work
required to reestablish livelihoods, regain health and rebuild household community
infrastructure can only begin once the waters have fully receded.
1.4 The Response
In the wake of the floods the new Flood Relief Operations Center (FROC) was established
to provide rapid emergency response and coordinate responsible government bodies 9 .
Immediate needs were met largely by appropriate government ministries and the Thai
Red Cross. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has largely been
5 Affected population totals started accumulating from July 25, 2011
6 UN Situation Report 14, December 8, 2011
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Additional information on institutional arrangements can be found in the Disaster Risk Management chapter of this report.
THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING
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