Although flooding is considered a "natural disaster" that is difficult to avoid — and sometimes difficult to predict — when such disasters occur repeatedly, there must at least be measures in place to respond and prepare for the situation, so as to minimise losses or, ideally, prevent them altogether.
The flooding in Nan Province up to the present day (20 August) has claimed a total of 2 lives and caused extensive property damage — a deeply saddening situation.
On 20 August at 10:00 a.m., a press briefing was held at the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Centre, Building 3, 5th Floor, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Ms. Chatchadaporn Boonpheranat, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, chaired the Situation Awareness Team (SAT) meeting of the Central Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Authority (CDPMA), Session No. 17/2026, to monitor the flood situation and relief assistance being provided to affected communities.
It was disclosed that heavy rainfall across the northern region had caused flash floods, rapid inundation, and overflowing riverbanks. At present, the situation persists across 4 districts of Nan Province — Pua, Tha Wang Pha, Phu Phiang, and Santisuk — covering 24 sub-districts and 99 villages, with 13,132 households and a total of 30,313 people affected, and 2 fatalities: one in Pua District and one in Tha Wang Pha District.
It was also stated that agencies had been instructed to comply with directives issued by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Mr. Jesadh Thaiset, Deputy Minister of the Interior (MoI-3). In the event of flooding or where flooding is anticipated, agencies are to urgently relocate vehicles and valuable assets that may be at risk of damage out of the affected areas in order to reduce potential losses.
At the same time, agencies are to look after vulnerable groups and prepare to evacuate residents from at-risk areas to safe locations — actions that must be carried out before any incident occurs. Agencies are also to coordinate closely with Irrigation Offices and district chiefs to analyse trends and forecast the travel time of floodwaters, before notifying the National Disaster Warning Centre to send Cell Broadcast messages to residents in at-risk areas so they are forewarned and can prepare.
In addition, preparations have been made for heavy equipment, helicopters, and other rescue equipment, with requests made for support from other provinces to join and stand ready for the situation.
Nevertheless, although the state of preparedness outlined in the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation's briefing appeared to leave no gaps — since everything seemed to have been carefully arranged —
there were still voices of criticism and observation from Mr. Seree Supharat, Director of the Climate Change and Disaster Center at Rangsit University and Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Warning Foundation, who is one of the country's water experts. Speaking about the overall water situation in Nan Province at that time, he noted that on that day (20 August) rain was still falling, but water levels in Nan city had stabilised and dropped slightly, while in Wiang Sa District, water levels remained high.
"Even though the central authorities sent out Cell Broadcast alerts from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., there were still fatalities. That means there is some gap somewhere — something that did not reach the people. We need to look at exactly what happened," Mr. Seree observed, adding that he proposed local authorities set up war rooms in parallel with the central command, with continuous risk assessments being conducted at all times.
In most cases, when alerts are issued by the central authorities or Cell Broadcast messages are sent out, the feedback that comes back is: once the warning is given, where are people supposed to go? — because no shelter locations are announced. He therefore wished to clarify that the central warning system sends alerts so that local authorities can relay them further, informing residents in each village which evacuation shelter they should proceed to.
That is the weakness that keeps occurring — and it keeps occurring repeatedly — not unlike the major flooding in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province in previous years, which had similar characteristics: warnings or evacuation orders were issued, but people were not told where to evacuate to — which locations were safe or posed the least risk. The Hat Yai case may have differed in one respect: the warning at that time was issued so suddenly that people could not respond in time to escape the floodwaters — the result of officials saying the situation was "under control."
But in the case of Nan Province, advance evacuation notices were issued, yet residents were left confused and did not know what to do because they had no idea where to flee from the floodwaters or where any shelters were located.
This is the picture that has emerged — even as ministers went into the field, travelling by boat to survey the flood situation. Several ministers descended on the area, including those from the Pheu Thai Party led by Mr. Yotchanun Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Mr. Suriya Juangroongruangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and a delegation of Pheu Thai Party MPs, among others.
Meanwhile, the "Blue Team," led by Mr. Jesadh Thaiset, Deputy Minister of the Interior, who oversees the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), was also on the ground. Judging from the news photographs, both teams were seen actively commanding operations in the field, staying overnight, eating boxed meals — projecting an image of sharing in the hardship of local residents.
Yet on the other side, it looked very much like everyone was doing their own thing — issuing commands separately — because this is political work: campaigning separately. But in terms of the results that were delivered, while they may not have been a complete failure, they were far from a full score. In terms of coordination, they were not acting as one. Meanwhile, water levels over the past day or two have shown a trend of beginning to recede somewhat, easing the crisis to some degree — though vigilance remains necessary around 23 August, as weather forecasts have warned of rainfall increasing again.
The flooding that has occurred in Nan Province and across the northern region still reflects an image of "unpreparedness" in responding to emergency situations that had already sent signals through rising rainfall and water levels. Even though advance "warning messages" were sent, the same old problem remained: once the alert was issued, residents did not know where to flee or where shelters were located — as the feedback described above makes clear. At the same time, the political "scramble to score points" only added to the chaos, because there was no unified command centre, no single supreme authority, and officials did not know who to listen to.
Most critically, the government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has never drawn lessons from past events. It is fortunate that water levels are trending downward, allowing some breathing room — but preparations must be made for another wave in the next day or two. Based on the track record so far, the assessment is: "Fail."!!
