Yesterday, I heard about a friend living in Thailand who evacuated Bangkok because of the severity of the flooding. This morning, it was announced that the city’s second largest airport, the one that handles many domestic flights, has been flooded. For anyone planning travel to Thailand, these events mean plans should be revisited.
My friend has evacuated from his home in Bangkok to the coastline, but many less-fortunate residents are facing steadily rising flood waters. Schools have been closed. The government has declared a holiday to allow families to prepare for flooding dangers that are expected to crest this weekend with a high tide.
The waters are reported to be expected to reach a depth of five feet at the now-closed Don Muang airport and many low-lying parts of Bangkok. This airport with its flood barriers has been a relief center for many residents, however even the relief center is now facing the possibility of flooding. Several runways remain open for military supply flights, however, should the flood barriers fail in the coming days, those flights will be discontinued.
The Chao Phraya river is already overflowing its banks and the city center is expected to be flooded in the next days.
Before the waters arrived in the Bangkok region, much of the country has been flooded. It will be affecting consumers here in the U.S. because most of the hard drives that serve as computer storage and many other computer parts are made in this flood-striken region. The Sony plant, now under 10 feet of water, and other computer component manufacturers have shut down.
So what will this mean to you? It appears that Sony cameras are the primary products made at this particular plant, so any PS3s, Bravia TVs, or other (non-camera) Sony products that are on your holiday wishlist should still be in the clear. There is no official word on any of this, but the upcoming 24.3MP Sony NEX-7 may be shifted to another plant, and could see delays. Amazon is currently showing a “manufacturing supplies may be constrained” note on their product page for the camera.
This same flooding is also causing concerns about worldwide hard drive prices. Several drive makers, most prominently Western Digital, have had their Bangkok area factories shut down for extended periods. Typical prices have yet to reflect the supply concerns, partly due to relatively low demand. But if you’re shopping for hard drives (or the systems that include them) you may want to keep an eye on this situation.
Some industry experts are predicting four months of parts disruptions from the flooding.
Adding insult to injury, there are now reports of crocodiles swimming through the streets of Bangkok. However, as bad as that visual may be, the danger is minimal.
…these farm-raised crocs are docile for the most part and aren’t in the business of hunting backpackers.
Thailand is one of the world’s largest exporters of crocodile products. The flooding in Thailand has allowed a large number of the 200,000 crocodiles kept in 30 farms and other breeding operations near Bangkok to escape. No one is sure how many, but many of those newly-freed crocodiles are expected to be hiding in the city.
Although the crocodiles are farm raised and are typically afraid of humans, the government has posted a US $100 bounty for anyone who can capture one. Undoubtedly, men are out hunting in the flooded streets of Bangkok to claim such a hefty reward.
Bottom line — Thailand, in general, and the capital city of Bangkok are a mess. Any plans for travel to the region should be planned with eyes wide open and plenty of alternatives.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
