Epic flooding in Thai might not recede for a month

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the country's worst flooding in half a century could take four to six weeks to recede in some areas.And Thailand is bracing for more high tides in the coming week, according to Thailand's Flood Relief Operations Command. High tides cause rivers to back up, subsequently raising water levels.Yingluck said authorities are trying to drain water into the sea as quickly as possible, but the disaster has proved arduous."I would like to apologize to the public because it has been difficult to make advanced notice about the floods," she said, according to the Thai News Agency. "There are many factors beyond our expectation. Informing too early could cause panic and mistakes could happen easily, but people should be alert and closely follow up the situation."The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters for victims of flooding in affected provinces, Shinawatra said, according to the agency. There are currently more than 113,000 people staying at the shelters, which can assist about 800,000, she said.The government had hoped that strengthening flood barriers and widening canals would keep populated areas safe.But now the government is trying a different technique: opening floodgates to relieve pressure on dams and levees and send the water toward the sea.The decision to divert water through canals in Bangkok means parts of the city, and its surrounding suburbs such as Rangsit, are flooded.By Sunday, diversion tactics used by the government starting to work in eastern Bangkok, where water is starting to recede. But areas west of the Chao Phraya River --- which has burst over its banks -- remain a concern.The flooding, which follows months of monsoon rains, has already killed 356 people, with nearly 9 million others affected, authorities said.Overall damage from the floods could top $2 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.Many residents waded through dirty water in the capital in recent days as they made a desperate attempt to save their belongings.Bangkok, who lugged her sodden possessions through waist-high water.Pulling her things out of her front room, Prapankarn said she was overcome with sadness when she looked at her destroyed home and at what had been lost.She wondered how she would find food for her 16 dogs.Rising water in Rangsit gave residents little chance to save what they could.Some moved out of flooded homes by boat, or anything that could float. The rest waded through water with plastic bags balanced on their heads.Pets were tucked into coats or pushed inside boats. Children, meanwhile, seemed to struggle to stay on their feet against the fast-moving water.Another resident, Saisamorn Pongsairak, said she had lived in the inundated Rangsit neighborhood all her life.Pongsairak runs a food store, which she said she refuses to close, frying chicken in waist-high water on an elevated stove.The prime minister has urged all Bangkok residents to move their belongings to higher ground as government workers try to contain the flooding.Government spokeswoman Thitima Chaisaeng said the move was a precautionary measure.To protect their cars, residents double parked along elevated highways, making it nearly impossible to navigate a city where traffic is congested on a normal day.