Flood Relief

The end of March, steady rains hit southern Thailand for about 5 days. In Khao Phanom district, the rains on Phanom Benja Mountain caused mudslides and tons of water to sweep through the district. Several sections of the district were underwater for almost a week. Eleven Thais died here. The swiftly running water swept rubber & palm oil trees, houses, vehicles, furniture and people away in its current.

We heard some really sad stories. Most found out the run-off water was coming & were rescued by boats from roofs and second floors. Other people had time to flee and take their trucks or motorcycles to higher ground. The water rose to between 1 & 2 meters. Other people, once the waters receded, slept on bamboo shelters back at their homes while cleaning up their muddy houses. Families were waiting for electricity & water to be restored. Some tried to wash their mattresses and dry them on the road or tree stumps. Furniture had to be discarded because it was damaged beyond repair. Refrigerators & washing machines could be seen in yards drying after being cleaned. Some waded through small amounts of standing water to cut their rubber trees or get the fruit from their palm oil trees so they would have an income.

Much aid was sent by the Thai government, royal family, & private donations to the really badly affected areas. Lesser amounts of aid reached other sections. Because our funds were limited, we had to choose where to best spend our resources. Once the waters were down, we went out to find out where to help. Through our church, Krabi Baptist, we had made up around 358 bags with food/personal use items from Disaster Relief Funds (and another 100 bags were distributed from Thai Baptist Funds). In addition, foldable mattresses, pillows, lightweight blankets and even doors were distributed. Two cooked meals were also served in flood villages. During those meals, the gospel was related in sermonettes, songs, music and church members serving the Thais in the two villages. Another meal is scheduled for next month, as well.