Clinton School student Erin Stock, who is completing her final Capstone project in Bangkok Thailand, has written an article on the recent flooding there.
Stock, who worked as a reporter for the Birmingham (Ala.) News before coming to the Clinton School, wrote a piece on the flooding for IRIN, a humanitarian news agency run by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Click here to read the article on the devastating flood in Thailand. Below is an excerpt:
Weeks of flood threats during one of Thailand’s most destructive monsoon seasons on record have given residents in the capital of more than eight million people time to prepare for the worst.
But that extra time also allows for uncertainty, mixed messages, and “warning fatigue”, complicating how well people prepare and, ultimately, how many lives and livelihoods are spared, say disaster workers and researchers.
“It’s partially denial, it’s partially the information, it’s partially not knowing what information to believe,” said Jerry Velasquez, senior regional coordinator for the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Asia Pacific. He likened the run-off from flooding in the north winding southwards to a “slow tsunami”.
When the government first reported potential flooding in parts of Bangkok in early October, some residents built flood walls. Others did little more than stock up on bottled water. When warnings escalated to include all 50 city districts, thousands packed bus terminals to leave the city, while others ignored the evacuation calls.
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