BANGKOK, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Thailand’s weather agency on Wednesday forecast thundershowers and isolated heavy rain in and around Bangkok from October 10 to 12, as annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank begin in a city hit by heavy floods last month.
• The IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings will take place in Bangkok from October 12 to 18, involving 15,000 participants from more than 190 countries, according to the Thai government.
• Heavy flooding hit Bangkok late last month, prompting the governor to declare the capital a disaster-affected zone after nearly 300 mm (12 inches) of rain swamped the city in just three days, as much as it typically receives in the whole of September.
• Heavy rain is expected in the southern region of the country with authorities closely monitoring the risk of flooding, the weather agency said.
• Rain is also forecast across central and eastern Thailand and the lower northeast, raising the risk of flooding and travel disruptions, the agency said.
• The death toll from floods nationwide since September 16 has risen to 60, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
• Currently, 28 provinces have areas still affected by floods, including Bangkok, impacting a total of 1.15 million households, according to the ministry.
• Thailand’s industrial sector has suffered damages worth an estimated 6 billion baht ($178 million) from floods, the Federation of Thai Industries said on Wednesday.
• Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, earlier this week, ordered officials to ensure that the floods do not affect the upcoming Bangkok meetings.
• Authorities have made contingency plans to prepare for disruptions at the meeting venues, with some 5,000 police officers deployed to secure multiple areas across Bangkok, the government said.
• Government agencies were also preparing flood-response measures, including the use of high-clearance tow trucks and helicopters if necessary, the transport ministry said.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat, Editing by David Stanway)
