Photo credit: Montree Laowiriyatonchai

Flooding in Northern Thailand

This month, I was reminded of how fragile we are. No one expects a natural disaster. No one plans for such things. But sometimes they happen. Over the last few weeks, northern Thailand has experienced severe flooding and landslides due to heavy monsoon rains throughout the Mekong Subregion. On Wednesday, Sept 11, areas in Chiang Rai Province that were within a kilometer of the river experienced flash flooding. According to the Bangkok Post, there were three fatalities and more than 10,000 people were displaced (https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2864207/chiang-rai-grapples-with-flood-disaster). Special forces emergency response teams were called in to evacuate people by boat, jet ski, and helicopter due to strong currents in the flowing water. Authorities suspect that a dam gave way upriver in Myanmar, however no advance warning was given and communities in Thailand were unprepared for the sudden deluge.

Floodwaters Four Feet Deep at NLCF Chiang Rai

The New Life Center Chiang Rai branch was also flooded with four feet of water. When the floodwaters finally subsided, it took ten days for our staff, NLCF graduates, and local volunteer teams to dig through the mud, broken glass, and garbage, relocate scorpions, snakes, and poisonous centipedes, throw out damaged furniture, and pressure wash the entire property. In the coming months, we will need to repaint, and replace electrical outlets, plumbing, air conditioners, and furniture. Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help!

NLCF Graduates Also Affected

Others in our community are also suffering. Many families and businesses experienced the loss of everything they own. The two photos below show damage to the home of one of our NLCF scholarship students who recently finished a vocational training program and landed a job as a dental hygienist. New Life Center staff person Faye Wimon (pictured in the second photo) took a motorcycle out to visit the family because the roads are washed out in this village.

NLCF Distributing Emergency Relief

NLCF staff are currently out in the community assessing the damage, praying with people, helping with cleanup efforts, and delivering emergency relief as best we can. The community has pulled together in remarkable ways, and everyone is doing what they can to help.

NLCF Office in Chiang Mai Also Flooded

I went to Chiang Rai last weekend to help with cleanup at the New Life Center and the Williams’ house. I returned home to Chiang Mai last Sunday, Sept 22. Within hours of my arrival, I received news that our New Life Center offices in Chiang Mai are also flooded due to heavy rains. As of this writing, we now have about 20 inches of water in the first floor of the office, and the floodwaters have yet to recede.

Needless to say, prayer and financial support would be gratefully appreciated at this time.

Click HERE to support flood relief efforts throughout the region by donating to One Great Hour of Sharing Thailand Flood Relief.

If you would like to donate to IM global servants who experienced personal losses due to this flooding disaster, you can do so using the link below. They will receive all funds donated until Dec 11. After that, donations to this fund will be collected to assist other IM Global Servants who experience a natural disaster or other personal crisis.

Click HERE to help the Global Servants who experienced personal losses.