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BANGKOK, Thailand -- As floodwaters pour into Bangkok neighborhoods, aide for the Thai people is arriving from around the globe. That includes help from Utahans and those with close ties to the state.
According to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bangkok Mission President Michael S. Smith, 75 percent of missionaries have been relocated as waters have advanced. Their assignments have shifted as well from traditional missionary work to assisting with relief efforts. This week they met with volunteers and local church members to assemble hundreds of emergency kits containing food, toilet supplies, blankets and water.
Missionary Amanda Maxwell says it's been difficult to watch people lose everything as their homes fill with water.
"It feels good to be able to help," she said while packing supplies into bags, "But in some ways it feels like a little drop of water in the ocean because we see how wide the destruction is."
In some ways it feels like a little drop of water in the ocean because we see how wide the destruction is.
–- Amanda Maxfield, missionary
Government officials in Thailand continue to widen their evacuation orders as water creeps closer to Bangkok's central financial district. Thirty of the city's 50 districts have been flooded, according to a spokesman. While leaders have attempted to save key sections of the capitol, they are not always successful. The flood command station at domestic airport Don Mueang was moved when water moved in.
The LDS Church focused its relief efforts on that area this week, delivering the hundreds of emergency kits they assembled. A partnership with the Thai Royal Army has enabled the church to get supplies to areas covered in four to five feet of water.
"They seem frustrated because they're waiting for food for a long time and no one is donating to them," said Elder Komgrit Dokkum, a native of Surin, Thailand.
At the neighborhood stops, lines of people formed in seconds for goods handed to them by missionaries and volunteers. Residents have quickly adapted to the flood conditions. They brought tubs or large pieces of Styrofoam to keep food dry while pushing it home through the water.
They seem frustrated because they're waiting for food for a long time and no one is donating to them.
–- Komgrit Dokkum, missionary and Thailand native
"It really drives it home that people are struggling, and these [emergency supply] packs aren't just packs," said Elder Spencer Larson.
Included in the group were missionaries and volunteers who've been directly affected. Wisan Wisanbannawit's home flooded weeks ago.
"I stay at my house two days and I think, ‘If I stay here I'm stuck and I cannot do anything to help any people,'" he said. "I talk with my family and we decide to move out."
Wisanbannawit's attitude matches those of many people in Thailand who are focused on helping others instead of themselves.
"The culture is a very kind culture," says Elder Larson.
Clean up from the floods will likely take months, and relief groups are now working to tailor their supplies to evolving conditions. The LDS Church is exploring the idea of clothing and mosquito net donations, as standing water attracts mosquitos. If you'd like to help, visit lds.org or redcross.org.
*Email:sdallof@ksl.com*This report was compiled with information from the Associated Press.
