Southeast Asia floods

Southeast Asia’s worst floods in five decades followed a three-month series of storms that began in July. As a result, by late October more than 840 people had died in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Thailand had the most deaths reported, over 400, with 2,000,000 people affected. About a third of the country was under water, including agricultural and industrial regions as well as Chiang Mai, the tourist site of Ayutthaya and some areas of Bangkok.

Mosquitoes are a concern, as lower-elevation areas may take two to three months to drain. Many water sources were contaminated, and roads and bridges in some rural areas need to be repaired.