Floods' financial cost yet to be tallied
A man feeds his baby at an evacuation centre yesterday after flash floods hammered his village in Uttaradit.
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The financial cost of the horrific floods in Uttaradit cannot be estimated at this stage, according to Pornchai Sukanthawipat, an officer of the Insurance Department's Uttaradit office.
Thamrong Poomkoh, Viriyah Insurance's branch manager, said yesterday that in Uttaradit alone there were at least 500 submerged cars, including more than 100 in front of Rajabhat university and more than 100 others underwater in Lablae district. "The main problem now is that we cannot reach the troubled area as the water level doesn't seem to be decreasing. "About 20 of my clients have contacted me already and we have recovered ruined cars in some areas," Thamrong said. Sampanh Insurance advised that around 10 customers had been in contact to make claims. According to the Uttaradit Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office, around 23,500 households are suffering from the flood, with seven districts affected. There have been 16 deaths and 48 people are missing. Potjanee Thanavaranit, director-general of the Insurance Department, said the bureau had offered emergency support to victims in four Northern provinces and urged farmers to consider buying insurance coverage for their products. She said most farmers hit by this disaster did not buy insurance coverage for their agricultural produce because they thought they could rely on the government for support.
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