(Re)in Summary
- Flooding has affected 545,022 people in 25 provinces and a further 52,000 households in Bangkok, and eight people have died, according to the DDPM.
- Thailand’s THB15.5bn (US$465m) national disaster insurance scheme begins cover on 1 October.
- The scheme pays up to THB100,000 (US$3,000) per household per flood, only in officially declared disaster zones.
- Around THB70bn of the scheme’s THB75bn coverage is due to be ceded to overseas reinsurers.
Bangkok declared all 50 of its districts disaster zones on Saturday as flooding spread across Thailand, affecting more than half a million people just days before the country’s national disaster insurance scheme begins cover.
Almost 300mm of rain fell on the capital from Thursday afternoon, according to governor Chadchart Sittipunt, with the east of the city hit hardest.
By 06:00 on Sunday the floods had impacted 174,803 households and 545,022 people in 25 provinces, plus another 52,000 households across Bangkok’s 50 districts, with eight people dead, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).
“The rain keeps falling and we are doing our best. We are trying to pump the water out, but the water in canals are full,” Chadchart said on social media.
Thai Chamber of Commerce chairman Poj Aramwattananont warned of disruption to transport, supplies, raw materials and staff travel, and said recovery could take time after the water recedes.
The rain disrupted travel and banking in and around the capital. Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports stayed open, with some flights delayed, the Transport Ministry said on Saturday.
The State Railway of Thailand closed six sections of its Eastern Line on Sunday after floodwater reached rail level, suspending 10 train services. Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank and Government Savings Bank temporarily closed a combined 113 branches and service points across Bangkok, surrounding provinces and parts of eastern Thailand.
The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand had put all its estates on 24-hour flood watch, naming Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Samut Prakan as priority areas.
Floods hit days before new scheme starts
The floods struck before Thailand’s new disaster scheme’s 1 October start, so affected households fall under a one-off relief payment the Cabinet approved on 25 August for this year’s rainy-season floods. The current scheme pays THB9,000 (US$270) per household whose main residence, in a declared disaster zone, was flooded for more than seven days, or for up to seven days with property damaged, and THB2m for each death caused directly by floods or landslides.
From 1 October, the new national scheme will pay flood-hit households an initial THB10,000 per event, followed by up to THB90,000 more, a maximum of THB100,000. Deaths carry the same THB2m benefit.
The DDPM runs the scheme with the Office of Insurance Commission and the Thai General Insurance Association (TGIA). Of its roughly THB75bn in annual coverage, domestic insurers are expected to retain up to THB5bn and transfer the remaining THB70bn to overseas reinsurers. The TGIA says it has secured reinsurance capacity for the full programme.
The scheme’s approval followed severe flooding in southern Thailand in November 2025. Thailand’s 2011 floods, which killed more than 500 people, caused insured losses of around US$20bn.
