Thailand Great Flood 2011 Part IV

The massive body of water now surrounding Bangkok is continuing its long, destructive trip toward the ocean. The flood is the result of the heavy monsoon rains that drenched Southeast Asia four months ago, leaving Thailand and neighboring countries submerged and claiming more than 1,000 lives across the region. 

The waters that inundated Ayutthaya to the north of Bangkok have largely receded, but suburbs to the south and west remain under threat, with evacuation notices still being issued. Central Bangkok appears to have been spared the worst of the flooding, due in part to a protective wall of sandbags some 6 km (3.7 mi) long. Throughout the surrounding area, many thousands remain in evacuation centers, or with friends and family, waiting for the worst flooding in decades to recede. 

Collected here are images from Thailand over the past two weeks.

A man uses stilts to walk through floodwaters in Bangkok, on November 9, 2011. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)

A Buddha head in the roots of a Bodhi tree is partially submerged by floodwaters in the ruins of Wat Mahathat temple in Thailand's ancient capital, Ayutthaya, on November 6, 2011. The floods in Thailand began in July and have devastated large parts of the central Chao Phraya river basin, killed more than 500 people and disrupted the lives of more than two million. (Reuters/Adrees Latif) 

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Thailand Great Flood 2011 Part III

The worst flooding Thailand has seen in 50 years appears to be coming down from its high-water mark, largely sparing central Bangkok while continuing to inundate surrounding suburbs and farms. Heavy monsoon rains have submerged nearly a third of the country's provinces since July, killing more than 370 people. Over the weekend, high tides and heavy flooding threatened central Bangkok, but defenses appear to have held. However, some residents in surrounding areas have expressed anger at being placed on the outside of these protective barriers and having floodwater diverted toward them. Areas west of Bangkok are still expected to be hard hit in the coming days as the last of the flooding makes its way to the sea. Gathered here are images from Thailand as the waters start to recede and the task of recovery begins.

Thai soldiers hold onto each other, pulling against the stream of water flowing into a neighborhood after a wall was breached by the swollen Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 30, 2011

Local residents evacuate their flooded neighborhood on the back of a truck in an area near the Chao Praya river in Bangkok, on October 29, 2011.

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Thailand Great Flood 2011 Part II

Heavy monsoon rains have been drenching Southeast Asia since mid-July, causing mudslides and widespread flooding. The deluge has now reached Bangkok, with rising water and associated problems affecting most of the city's 10 million residents. 

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that parts of the capital could be inundated by up to 1.5 meters of water and remain flooded for up to a month. Around Bangkok, the second-largest airport has closed, food prices are soaring, clean water is becoming scarce, and the country is declaring a holiday from Thursday until Monday to allow people to evacuate. 

The Chao Phraya river is predicted to overflow its banks in the city sometime today, and authorities say that if the protective dikes fail to hold the water, all parts of Bangkok will be vulnerable to the floodwater.

Cars are parked on a highway overpass to avoid floods in Ayutthaya province near Bangkok, on October 25, 2011.

Residents evacuate from their flooded town, north of Bangkok, on October 25, 2011. Around 320 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, as Thailand experiences the worst flooding in 50 years with damages running as high as $6 billion.

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