Bangkok residents paddle a makeshift boat through floodwaters on Sunday, October 30. Thai officials warned residents in the capital to be vigilant and expect disruptions with electricity and tap water as Thailand battles its worst flooding in decades.
Are you there? Send your images, video to iReport.
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Bangkok faces the highest flood levels yet and is preparing for the worst, the governor of the Thai capital told CNN.
Residents are urged to flee the rising floodwaters, which have already forced the closure of Bangkok's Don Muang airport and the evacuation of flood victims who have taken refuge there.
Thailand's government has declared a five-day public holiday in flood-affected provinces to try to encourage people to seek safety elsewhere before high tides expected this weekend.
But Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paripatra told CNN the authorities could not evacuate a whole city and it was difficult to persuade the Thai people to leave their homes, despite the risk. CNNGo: Updated info for tourists
"Apparently there will be large volume of water runoff coming toward the city tonight onwards, and over the weekend," he said. "At the point of high tide, it will be very high, the highest this year. We are bracing for the worse."
Thongthong Chantharangsu, a spokesman for Thailand's Flood Relief Operations Center, appealed on TV for Bangkok residents to head to the countryside.
Floodwaters extend from Rangsit, north of Bangkok, to Don Muang airport and Yingcharoen Market, state-run news agency MCOT reported.
Bangkok road becomes river
The water has reached 30cm (12 inches) in places and is overflowing on to sidewalks and some roads, causing problems for small vehicles and leading to traffic congestion, the agency said.
Aid challenges in Bangkok
In a televised address Tuesday night, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the capital could be submerged by as much as 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) of water.
Heavy cost of Thai floods
Of particular concern were areas along the Chao Phraya River, which winds through the capital and is expected to overwhelm embankments this weekend.
Thailand devastated by floods
The Airports of Thailand declared Don Muang airport, which primarily services domestic flights, closed Tuesday night, after floodwaters flowed onto runways and affected the lighting.
Nok Air, which usually operates from Don Muang, was forced to cancel flights but should be able to run an almost normal schedule by Friday after moving its operations to the main Suvarnabhumi Airport, the airline's chief executive Patee Sarasin said Wednesday. Some 3,000 Nok Air passengers were affected by flight cancellations Tuesday, he said.
The flood relief operation will continue to be based at the airport, the Thai government said Wednesday.
Floodwaters engulf Bangkok area
More than 600 prisoners held at Bang Kwang Central Prison have been evacuated, according to the Department of Corrections. The high-security prison has about 4,000 inmates, the chief of the prison said, some of them high-profile.
The Don Muang airport in Bangkok, Thailand, as seen on Sunday, has become an evacuation center.
Flooding threatens Bangkok
The floods have also forced the Dusit Zoo to evacuate some animals, including goat antelope and Sika deer, to a zoo in the countryside, according to Dusit Zoo's chief, Karnchai Saenwong.
The U.S. ambassador to Thailand, Kristie A. Kenny, said the crisis was slow moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next.
The United States has already provided civilian relief resources including water pumps, purifiers and life vests, she said, and two U.S. helicopters are helping the Thai military survey the extent of the flooding.
Nationwide, the floods have killed 373 people and affected more than 9.5 million people, authorities said.
The public holiday announced Tuesday will be from Thursday to next Monday and will be effective in 21 provinces, including Bangkok, that are still under water, a government spokeswoman said.
The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede in some areas.
The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge.
Overall damage from the floods has risen and could top $6 billion, with the worst yet to come as the waters destroy shops and paralyze factories nationwide, the Thai Finance Ministry said.
Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism, which has been diminished by the flooding.
CNN's Elizabeth Yuan, Kocha Olarn and Paula Hancocks contributed to this report
Loading weather data ...
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
People commute along a flooded street near the Chao Phraya River on Sunday in Bangkok.
A Bangkok resident makes his way through a flooded street on Sunday.
People travel on a truck along a flooded street on Sunday in Bangkok.
Residents commute along a flooded street on Sunday.
Thai residents wade through waist-high waters in Bangkok on Friday, October 28, after heavy floods swept through the area. Hundreds of people have died from flood-related incidents since July.
A Thai police officer directs traffic as cars pass through flooded streets on Friday. Residents have begun leaving Bangkok to escape the rising waters.
People paddle and walk through a flooded neighborhood near the Chao Praya River.
Residents evacuating their neighborhoods get off a rescue boat near the Chao Praya River.
Thai residents walk in floodwaters along a street in the Chinatown section of Bangkok.
People travel through floodwaters on a boat as they evacuate their neighbourhood next to the Chao Praya river in Bangkok..
Residents wait for a rescue boat as they evacuate their neighborhood next to the Chao Praya River in Bangkok on Friday.
A man smokes a cigarette outside his home as floodwaters rise in Bangkok on Wednesday, October 26. The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century.
People walk through a flooded street in Bangkok's Chinatown on Wednesday. Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism, which has been diminished by the flooding.
A man pulls a makeshift raft through a flooded street in Bangkok on Wednesday. Floodwaters extend from Rangsit, north of Bangkok, to the Don Muang airport and Yingcharoen Market.
A woman sits with her daughter in the window of their flooded condo. Residents have been urged to flee the rising waters.
A man lies on a couch Wednesday in his flooded Bangkok home. Gov. Sukhumbhand Paripatra says that despite the risk, it is difficult to persuade people to leave their homes.
Women stand in a flooded residential area in Bangkok's Chinatown. Overall damage from the floods could top $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry said.
Evacuated residents stand among tents in a shelter set up for flood victims at Don Muang airport. Floodwaters forced the airport to close, and it now serves as a base of flood relief operations.
A man holds his dog and stands by his belongings at the Don Muang airport. He's waiting to be transferred to a new evacuation center.
A girl tries to catch fish in floodwaters outside her house Wednesday.
Children play in flooded streets in Bangkok. It might take more than a month for the waters to recede in some areas, officials say.
Bangkok residents watch television in a flooded beauty salon on Wednesday.
Buddhist monks walk toward a pier along the Chao Phraya River, which winds through the capital.
Workers construct a sandbag wall Wednesday along the Chao Praya River, anticipating that it would overtop its embankments over the weekend.
An elderly woman in Bangkok is helped onto a truck to be taken to a hospital. The flooding has affected more than 9.5 million people, authorities said.
Chinatown residents make their way through a flooded street on Wednesday. The water has caused problems for small vehicles and led to traffic congestion.
Dhammakaya monks and volunteers work to fortify the flood gate at Klong Rapi Pat Sunday on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand.
A man walks through floodwaters in Bang Bua Thong on the outskirts of Bangkok Sunday.
|