BREAKING: Bangkok Shoppers Wade Through Floodwaters to Stock Up on Food as Thai Capital Declared Disaster Zone


Islam Global News | September 28, 2026



BANGKOK— Determined residents of Thailand's flooded capital waded through waist-deep water on Monday, pushing carts and carrying bags of groceries above their heads as they rushed to stock up on food and essentials amid one of the worst urban floods to hit Bangkok in years.


The scenes played out across multiple districts as the Thai Cabinet declared September 28 and 29 public holidays in Bangkok and three surrounding provinces — Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, and Samut Prakan — with essential public services ordered to remain operational.


Bangkok was formally declared a disaster zone after nonstop rain since Thursday submerged roads, canals, and homes across the capital. In the worst-affected areas, floodwaters reached waist height, stranding an estimated 80,000 residents and forcing authorities to evacuate approximately 1,500 bedridden hospital patients to higher-ground facilities.


The flooding is part of a wider crisis that has swept across Thailand since September 16, killing at least eight people and affecting more than 1.7 million residents across 27 provinces. Total damage is now estimated at $320 million, according to Reuters.


Despite the danger, many Bangkok residents refused to stay home, with markets and convenience stores reporting surges in customers stocking up on bottled water, instant noodles, and dry goods in anticipation of the flooding worsening.


"We have to prepare. Nobody knows how long this will last," one resident told local media while wading through knee-deep water near a flooded market.


Authorities have moved around 1,500 bedridden patients from low-lying hospitals to safer facilities, while thousands of displaced residents have taken shelter in government emergency centres across the city. Rain was reported to be easing Monday afternoon, though flooding persisted across several districts.


The Thai government has urged residents in affected provinces to avoid unnecessary travel and to monitor official updates as the situation continues to develop.


Islam Global News is following this story and will provide updates as they emerge