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BANGKOK, THAILAND: The Thai capital could face 'the worst storm surge in 50 years' any time from now until next month.
Mr Smith Dhammasaroj, chief of the National Disaster Warning Centre, told a seminar yesterday that if a storm was to gather, it would sweep through at a speed of 118kmph.
That would cause waves of 2.2m to 4.5m high and result in the worst storm to hit Bangkok in 50 years, he was quoted as saying by The Nation.
The province of Samut Prakan, 29km south of Bangkok, could be hit as well, said Mr Smith, urging officials to set up a good warning system, such as a live television pool, and implement measures to keep floodwaters out.
But officials from Samut Prakan say Mr Smith has failed to pinpoint a date and his vague remarks have caused unnecessary panic among some locals.
In Bangkok, officials are staging an emergency drill on Sunday to test the city's response in the event of a major storm, The Nation reported.
The city is distributing a basic handbook to residents on what to do during such disasters, said Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin.
He said the drill is a precautionary step, so the public should not worry unduly. There should be ample time to issue early warnings because storms usually take four to six days to form, he added.
Once known as the 'Venice of the East' Bangkok was founded on a swampy flood plain along the Chao Phraya River.
Thailand and many countries in the region face the risk of flooding each year during the May-October monsoon.
This year, the Mekong River - which runs through China's Yunnan province, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam - has swollen to levels not seen since 1966.
Parts of north and north-eastern Thailand have been flooded while soldiers in Laos are racing to build barriers along the river. Water levels have risen past the flood danger level, the authorities in Laos have said.
'The water is still rising...we're working on building higher levees,' a Foreign Ministry spokesman said this week.
Large swathes of Laos have been inundated by flood waters for the past month, he added, including Luang Prabang province - home to the ancient royal capital of the same name that is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Vietnam is also battling the country's worst floods in decades.
At least 120 people have been killed after days of heavy rains triggered by the remnants of a tropical storm, officials said. A further 44 are missing.
Heavy rains, followed by flash floods and landslides in Vietnam's northern mountainous provinces since last Friday, have destroyed 798 houses and flooded some 17,800 other buildings. --AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
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