Bhakorn Vanuptikul BCCE Executive Vice President, Bangkok Bank, Thailand

1. 2011 Flooding in Thailand
Lessons Learned
Bhakorn Vanuptikul
6 March 2012
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2. Agenda
• Damages Done
• Contributing Factors
• Crisis Management & BCP: Lessons Learned
• Conclusions
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3. From Global Perspective
• The World Bank ranked the 2011 Floods of Thailand
as the fourth costliest disaster in the history, after
the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, 1995
Kobe earth quake and 2005 Hurricane Katrina.
• The Flood also interrupted global supply chains of
automobile and electronics industries in Japan and
Europe.
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4. Damages Done
• Financial Impacts:
– US$ 45 Billions in damages and losses to properties,
industrial plants, goods and services.
• Impacts to Population:
– 5 Million Peoples or 1.9 Million Households were effected.
– 728 deaths, mostly from drowning or electrocution.
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5. Damages Done
• Banking Sector:
– 451 branches of banks were closed.
– 4,942 ATMs were damaged and more were unserviceable
for some time.
• Industrial & Business Impacts:
– 7 Industrial Estates.
– Over 1,000 Factories including major manufacturers such
as Sony, Canon, Nikon, Honda with long term impacts on
exports.
– 1,055 New Cars plus over 25,000 cars and trucks.
– 1 Million workers lost their jobs temporary or
permanently.
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6. Magnitude of the Flood
• 16 Billion Cubic Meters of Water
drained to the Gulf Of Thailand over a
period of 3 month
• This water can cover up to 16,000
square kilometers at 1 meter high.
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7. Geographical extent of the flood
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8. Water was everywhere
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9. From World Heritage Monuments
250 Historical sites were
damaged
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10. To Industrial Estates
7 Industrial Estates
838 Factories
1,055 New Cars
1 Million workers lost their jobs
temporary or permanently
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11. Residentials
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12. Transportations
Don Muang Airport and Head Office
of Royal Thai Airforce were fully
under water for over a month
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13. Transportations
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14. But people was resourceful
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15. Flooded areas in
Bangkok
Evacuation Areas
Special Alert Areas
High Alert Areas
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16. Contributing Factors
• Climate and Topography
• Global Warming
• Out of control Development
• Water Management
• Crisis Management
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17. Climate and Topography
• Tropical to Sub-tropical Climate
with mean annual rain fall of
1,217.8 mm in the North and
1,242.6 mm in the Central of
Thailand.
• Central flood plain with slope of
1:10,000 (1 meter drop in 10
kilometers of incline.
Effects:
• Run off from the North and
Central Plains goes through
Bangkok.
• Prolong flood up to 2-3 months in
low lying areas through out the
Central Plain.
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18. Global Warming
• Glacial and Ice Caps Melt down contribute to more humidity in the
atmosphere.
• Climate Changes cause more severe storms and rain falls.
Effects:
• In 2011, annual rain fall in Thailand is 1,688.7 mm or 39% above average in
the North and 1514.4 mm or 22% above average in the Central of
Thailand. 2011 had highest rain fall in 61 years of records.
• 4 Tropical Storms: Nock-Ten, Haima, Nesat, Haitang subsequently hit
Thailand in July through September contributed to flash floods in many
areas and caused run off from over capacity dams in the North and North
East of Thailand.
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19. Out of Control Development
• Prior to the Reign of King Rama 4 (1851-1868), most of the Thais knew
how to live with nature:
– They lived on barges or houses with high stilts that allowed co-existent
with seasonal floods.
– Most of transportation route were rivers and canals.
• Western Expansionism forded King Rama 4 to embrace Western
Innovation and Modernization. First modern road was built during his
reign.
• Modernization and urbanization over 150 years disregarded water ways
as transportation, many canals were reclaimed to build more roads. Flood
plains were used for agricultures, commercial, housing and industrial
estates.
Effects:
• Development areas and roads block water run off and cause flooding.
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20. Water Management
• Several large dams are used for electricity generation, irrigation and flood
control.
• Reservoirs, canals and rivers are uses for irrigation and flood control.
• These mechanisms are under several agencies and are managed for
different objectives.
• Water management in 2011 was political driven, to keep flood from
constituents in each province.
Effects:
• Water was retained too much early in the rainy season and all major dams
were at full capacity by the time 4 tropical storms hit Thailand in early July
to September causing the worst flood in 60 years.
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21. Water Management
Water Volume at King Bhumipol Dam in 2011, 2010
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22. Crisis Management by the
Government
• Crisis Management is driven by Political Agenda.
• Head of Flood Relief Operation Center (FROC) had no knowledge of flood control
and emergency operation.
• FROC had no water expert on the team until late in the crisis.
• FROC focused on flood relief and not on flood control and prevention.
• FROC provided no information on the flood situation and let local governments
handled emergency operation without coordination.
Effects:
• Conflicts in crisis management.
• Incoherent effort in flood control and flood relieves.
• Mistakes in flood control operations.
• Incomprehensible information of the situation to the public caused panics.
• Fighting between communities.
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23. Crisis Management & BCP
Lessons Learned 1
• Scenarios study to understand the
development of the Disaster.
– This is a regional disaster that is:
• Slow to take place but would last more than a month.
• Not all your facilities will face the disaster at the same
time so you will have to deal with them at different
stages of the crisis. Set up teams to deal with specific
tasks.
• You have time to prepare but you would have to fight
for the limited resources because everyone wants to do
the same.
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24. Crisis Management & BCP
Lessons Learned 2
Anticipate the potential impacts to:
 Transportations  Public Water
• Impact to your staff, • Impact to ability to cool the Data
logistics, other services. Center, life support for staff.
 Electricity  Health cares system
• Possible power outage • Impact to your staff and their
and duration. families, possible pandemic
diseases after the flood.
 Communications  Food supply chains.
• Impact to your work • Impact to your staff and their
procedures, transactions. families during the flood.
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25. How Bad It could be for Bangkok
Bangkok uses dykes and pumps to control flood which caused by
run off from the North and Central plains, by sea water surging or
by heavy rain fall within the city.
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26. Crisis Management & BCP
Lessons Learned 3
• Monitor the situation and information closely:
– There were so many sources of information, sort out which
ones are reliable and relevant.
– Social networks could be useful and more up to date in this
kind of disaster
– Information may be neither complete or accurate, try to
assess the situation yourself.
– Use these information to formulate what will impact you,
not only your operation, your business volume, but also
your customers’ operations.
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27. Crisis Management & BCP
Lessons Learned 4
• Look after your stake holders:
– Staff :
• Put their welfare as your priority. Allow them to take time off to
take care of their houses, their families.
• Transportation for staff
– Customers :
• Provide alternative channel for services
• Flexible ways to identify your customers
• Match their other needs (no fee for inter-bank transactions)
– Communities
• Support the communities around your premises. (Bangkok Bank
provided over 40,000 disaster relief packages.)
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28. Crisis Management & BCP
Lessons Learned 5
• Most components of your BCP would work. But you
have to focus on some new impacts and new
circumstances.
– Impact on your staff availability
• More alternate of key staff who live in different area
• Foods and beds for BCP staff around backup sites
– Impact on your facilities
• Power and water supplies
• Communications
• Establish backup sites outside of the disaster area
• Stock up your critical supplies or pre-arrange for them
– Impact on your work loads
– Impact on your logistics
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29. Crisis Management & BCP
Lessons Learned 6
• Protect your premises from threat of flooding.
– Understand your risk and your vulnerability
• Evaluate each facilities to see if protection from the
flood is possible, if it will be effective
• Reduce potential damage if possible
– Will your facilities cause impact to the
surrounding communities in case of flood?
• Check inventory of materials and fuels for any threat
• Work with authorities if you need external assessment
or support
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30. Conclusions
• Disaster is dynamic, follow it closely but most
importantly, anticipate the potential impacts.
• Focus on how to reduce these impacts.
• Re-assess your plan, find vulnerabilities that may
be associated with this type of disaster but be
flexible.
• Don’t rely on outside help, they are all busy.
• If you remember your staff, your customers in
time of need, they will always remember you.
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31. Thank you
Bhakorn Vanuptikul
bhakorn@hotmail.com
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