Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has pledged to expedite compensation payments to flood victims in Chiang Rai and establish a new emergency alert system.
She spoke during the inaugural meeting of the flood, storm, and mudslide crisis administration and management committee, held on Monday at Government House, to discuss the floods and post-inundation recovery operations in Northern Thailand.
The government has also established a flood victims aid operations centre, which will be directed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
Premier Paetongtarn stated that compensation payouts under the current criteria do not reflect the enormous damage caused by flooding in northern regions, particularly Chiang Rai. She also stated that a money would be put aside to establish a new emergency alert system called “cell broadcast service”.
By mid-2025, a new alert system would be in place, sending text alerts to all mobile phone users in the country in the event of an emergency.
When an emergency occurs, the system alerts all mobile phone users in Thailand, including foreign tourists. The notice will include graphics and audio messages in five languages: Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.
Compensation for Chiang Rai Residents
The NBTC, mobile phone providers, and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation have collaborated to create the emergency alert system. Depending on the importance, cell broadcast technology can send emergency warnings to all devices connected to mobile networks in a certain target area or across the country.
A senior provincial official in Chiang Rai said on Monday that the cost of repairing flood-damaged dwellings in Mae Sai district alone is expected to be 500 million baht. The crisis has not ended, with several portions of the border town still flooded.
Kanchit Chumpoodaeng, director of Chiang Rai’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office, said the damage estimate was based on the number of houses and shops destroyed by the massive flood in the district, as well as the official repair rate set in the state budget, which is 49,500 baht per house.
The figures only cover housing repairs. Other expenses are not covered,” Mr Kanchit explained.
Mae Sai district, particularly the municipality, was the most severely affected in Chiang Rai province after the Sai River burst its banks on Tuesday last week. Residents claimed it was the worst flooding in four decades.
Mr Kanchit stated that several portions of the district town were remained submerged and could only be accessible by Navy SEALs. Helicopters were airdropping crucial supplies to families stranded by floodwaters or unwilling to leave their homes.
Mae Sai district has opened 17 temporary shelters for victims, while Chiang Rai municipality has two. He noted that other inundated districts, including Muang, were gradually returning to normal.
To date, 12 people have died as a result of flooding in Chiang Rai, with three others recuperating from injuries.
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