Bangkok continued recovery efforts on Monday following several days of severe flooding that resulted in at least four fatalities within the city and disrupted daily life for hundreds of thousands of residents. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported that approximately 700,000 people have been affected by the floods, prompting authorities to declare a city-wide disaster on Saturday.

Significant portions of the capital remained waterlogged as floodwaters only began to recede late Monday evening. Schools were closed for a second consecutive day, and many residents continued to work remotely. In some of the hardest-hit eastern districts, such as Bang Kapi, homes and businesses suffered extensive damage. Supreeya Kasim, a 25-year-old restaurant worker, described floodwaters reaching waist height outside her workplace, necessitating ongoing clean-up efforts before operations could resume. She noted the unprecedented level of flooding, stating, "It has never flooded up to my knees like this before. This time is the worst."

Thousands of people stayed in over 230 emergency shelters across Bangkok, particularly in neighborhoods adjacent to the city’s canal system, which contributed to the widespread inundation. Supachai Pongchan, a 72-year-old Bang Kapi resident, expressed frustration over the lack of advance warning, saying that the flood’s nighttime arrival left little time to safeguard belongings. “The government miscalculated. So when the huge volume of water arrived, we just didn’t know what to do,” he said.

The floods come amid intense rainfall affecting 29 of Thailand’s 77 provinces and have also caused fatalities in neighboring Myanmar. Since mid-September, Thailand’s disaster authority has recorded 23 deaths countrywide, including eight in Samut Prakan province between Bangkok and the sea and six in Sa Kaeo province in the east. Bangkok’s geographic vulnerability is underscored by its location on former marshlands and its extensive canal networks, which have made managing floodwaters particularly challenging despite pumping stations operating at full capacity.

Authorities have cautioned that it could take up to a week for floodwaters to fully drain. Scientists have linked the increasing severity and frequency of such extreme weather events to the accelerating effects of global warming driven by fossil fuel emissions. Reflecting on the situation, local resident Chaleerat Chamrasopson described the floods as a sobering example for her children, saying, “The kids are into doomsday-themed content, so now they can see what the ‘end of the world’ is actually like, or rather, that this is just the beginning.”

Meanwhile, travelers faced disruptions at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, a major regional hub that has experienced ongoing delays and baggage handling issues since Saturday. Airport officials attributed these challenges to staff shortages caused by the flooding, which prevented employees from reaching their workplace on time.