Thailand: Floods surge through clinic, school and orphanage

Mae Sot after the floods

The Thai border town of Mae Sot has been overwhelmed by floodwater, as has its companion town of Myawaddy on the Burma side of the river Moei. 7000 people have been evacuated from Myawaddy.

It is thought that after exceptionally heavy rain, it has been necessary to release water from a dam upstream, perhaps to prevent a failure. The result is that there is water in central Mae Sot, two miles from the river, and many humanitarian projects supported by Thai Children’s Trust have beenseverely affected.

The Mae Tao Clinic, usually a busy place humming with people – it sees 140,000 patients a year – has evacuated patients and staff because it is flooded to chest depth. Much invaluable stock of medicine and drugs has been lost because there was no warning, no time to remove everything.

Heavenly Home, home to 50 children abandoned at the clinic, was flooded so all 50 children slept on the first floor. Although water has receded from the house now, the downstairs rooms ahve been contaminated with sewerage. SAW Children’s Home had water through its kitchen and dining room. Again, 50 children have been forced to sleep on the first floor.

Agape School, which teaches 200 children from poor migrant communities between Mae Sot and the river, is dry because it is up a hill. But it is cut off from supplies by a road blocked by one metre of water and will run out of food tonight unless supplies can be ferried in by boat. Agape is now home to 15 mothers and their children whose home was in an outlaw village on the riverbed which now no longer exists. Worse, seven women are known to have died at nearby factories, five from drowning, two from electrocution.

"It seems impossible that a community which has suffered so much, through civil war, malnutrition and abuse, should once again fall victim to natural disaster," said Andrew Scadding from Thai Children’s Trust. "What we have already heard is bad enough but we are really concerned that as news filters in from outlying schools near the river there will be much worse to come."

Thai Children’s Trust has set up an appeal page to raise funds to provide food and medicine to replace supplies lost in the flood, and to help with rebuilding. Please share with your friends. www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/flood-appeal