Thursday, October 27, 2011

Danger! Flood! (We Think)

Still no flood water in my neighborhood, but still it's all questions, questions, questions, and no answers. Local officials are so tentative and subjunctive, the answer to any simple question has so many "ifs" in it that the answer is rendered ridiculous.

It's Friday as I write, and this weekend we will have, no doubt about it, 1) a monsoonal flood tide coming back up the big river; and 2) hundreds of millions of cubic meters of new water coming into the already overflowing local rivers and canals from every direction. These are sure things.

Foreign experts in town to help out are more forthcoming. A Dutchman said, oh yeah, the whole city, maybe a meter anyway. I tend to trust the Dutch in matters of flooding, of water in general, they are the world's leading authorities after all. An anonymous expert was even more direct and dire.

I have decided that I need to stay, because all of the questions about my employment are answered tentatively as well. So I better stay close. No definitive word yet as to whether the school will close for classes, or close altogether, and there are things that I must sign. Paperwork will always remain a priority, flood or no flood.

You know, people think that I am very adventurous because of where I live and work, but really I am not that adventurous at all. I much prefer familiarity and routine. I get plenty of adventure in the normal course of things, I don't need to go looking for more.

So I'll be sticking it out at home, and hoping for the best. I'll be joining the local politicians in wish-thinking. My rented condo will remain dry, but the neighborhood will probably flood, it's come to neighboring areas already.

I just hope that the electricity and the municipal water will stay on, but of course there are no real answers for that either.

3 comments:

fred c said...

Prayers for my safety should be directed to the temple of the river goddess, Kang Ka I think her name is. Please be sure to carry a Buddha image for good luck. All religious metaphors in Thailand are mixed, as they should be. You may have to line up behind some politicians, please be patient. Kang Ka always comes through, not like most godly entities. The flood always comes, which is usually good, and the flood always goes away, which is always good.

Anonymous said...

I have learned that water always seeks it own level; there is nothing you can do about it. THree-quarters of the Earth is covered with it, which makes me think this planet should have been called "Water," not "Earth."

fred c said...

Yes it does, that water. A friend of mine here at the condo is very Internet capable, he looked up the real altitudes for all of BKK and found out that our neighborhood is 21 meters above sea level, which is just about the highest spot in BKK. So that's good.