Thailand Flood Relief Fund

Flood shelter at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand. Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Thailand_floods

Volunteers and members of the Royal Thai Army, military police, fill and place sandbags to redirect flooding in the northern Sai Mai district through the Khlong Hok Wa canal during a ground flood assessment by the III Marine Expeditionary Force humanitarian assistance survey team north of Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 25, 2011. The HAST is assessing damage done by flooding in Thailand and any support for humanitarian aid and/or disaster relief III MEF could provide. Royal Thai Armed Forces are reinforcing the area with a sandbag wall to divert the flow of water. Sixty-one provinces and 8.2 million people have been affected by the floods caused by an abnormal monsoon season. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Robert J. Maurer) Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Thailand_floods

Flood waters affect multiple areas of Thailand during the Humanitarian Assessment Survey Team's aerial flood assessment north of Bangkok, Oct. 16. HAST, consisting of 10 Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force, to assess damage caused by flooding in Thailand and possible support of III MEF to the Royal Thai Armed Forces. III MEF regularly trains to respond to natural disasters during exercises held on Okinawa and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The role of the Marine Corps during any humanitarian assistance and disaster response is to rapidly respond with critically needed capabilities to deliver assistance and relief to areas requiring immediate aid. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Robert J. Maurer/Released)

The Chao Phraya River forms at the confluence of smaller rivers in central Thailand, and flows southward to the Gulf of Thailand. En route to the sea, the river passes through Ayutthaya. First established in the fourteenth century, Ayutthaya lies north of Thailand's capital city of Bangkok, and the floods plaguing Thailand in October 2011 did not spare this historic city. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired these natural-color images of Ayutthaya on October 23, 2011 (top), and July 11, 2011 (bottom). In both images, the Chao Phraya River curves through the southwestern part of the city (image lower left). In October, however, the river has overflowed onto nearby floodplains, especially southwest of the river and west of Route 356. Fields, roads, and buildings have all been submerged by sediment-clogged flood water. Thailand's monsoon generally lasts from mid-May to September. Because these images show the region at different times of year, some of the differences in water and vegetation could result from normal seasonal variations. However, the large expanse of flood water in October 2011 is unusual even in a monsoon season. Flooding forced the closure of manufacturing plants in Ayutthaya, according to news reports. The city is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site. On October 12, UNESCO Bangkok announced a planned assessment of flood damage to Ayutthaya, requested by the government of Thailand.

Photo from Progress Report 'The Rebuilding Efforts Continue in Thailand'

Photo from Progress Report 'The Rebuilding Efforts Continue in Thailand'

Photo from Progress Report 'Relief Close up: Blanket Them With Love'

Photo from Progress Report 'Repair, Rebuild, Restart: Thailand Flood Relief'

Photo from Progress Report 'Repair, Rebuild, Restart: Thailand Flood Relief'