Flooding in Thailand

Over the last fortnight Thailand has been inundated by the worst floods in over 50 years. 30 out of Thailand’s 76 provinces have been affected, covering almost a quarter of the country with dangerous flood waters. The rain has been unusually heavy for this time of year, double the downfall of 2009. It is hard to know the full extent of the damage in some communities - communication is hard with most lines rendered useless because of flood damage, and many roads are impassable.

According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 828,443 homes and nearly 2.5 million people have been affected, with the death toll currently standing at 56 known fatalities. Rescue teams and government services have been overwhelmed by the unexpected flooding and are still trying to reach thousands of people stranded in their homes.

The government estimates the cost of the damage at over $650 million dollars. However, trying to estimate the long term damage caused is virtually impossible, especially in the more severely affected rural areas. Thailand is a country with a large agricultural sector, farming being the only source of income for many of its people. Over the last two weeks many farmers have watched helplessly as their livelihood has been washed away, with thousands of acres being swamped by water.

Donations to buy food, fresh water and medical supplies are urgently needed to help alleviate the suffering of those affected.

In a few weeks, the flood waters will recede and the media will leave, but the effects of the disaster will be felt by locals for many months to come. The medium and long term aid campaign will focus on providing equipment and money needed for reconstruction, sanitation, health and hygiene, as well as the financial issues associated with any disaster.

Donations received by Mirror will be directed at the flood-affected villages. The money received will purchase equipment and materials for maintenance and rebuilding, food and fresh water, new seeds for replanting of crops and whatever else is necessary to improve the conditions of the victims.

Mirror has the manpower, organisation, and reputation to be able to focus efforts in the correct areas. Some of our staff come from the regions affected, have family still living there, and know just what is needed in these dire times. We live and work in the countryside, so know full well what a disaster like this can do to a rural community.

Although we have the means to help, we have to rely on funding and donations to pay for the goods and materials. It is better to get monetary donations because aid can be bought at businesses near the affected area – this has the benefit of injecting cash into the local economy, and also saves on transportation costs (both for the donor, and ourselves).

If you wish to donate to this cause, please visit www.mirrorartgroup.org and follow the Flood Donation link on the main page. This will take you to a secure PayPal form. Any donation received will go straight towards helping the communities and individuals who have been affected by these dreadful floods.

Your generosity and support is much appreciated by The Mirror Foundation and the people of Thailand.