World News: Flooding hits Catholic Institutions

November 9, 2011 | UCANEWS

(Thailand) - Many Catholic institutions in areas hit by the flood crisis have ceased activities and evacuated their residents, but some are also doing what they can to help badly affected people.

Floods in central Thailand have caused weeks of chaotic uncertainty about inundation of the capital Bangkok and left surrounding provinces covered in stagnant and dirty water

Nakhon Pathom province’s Samphran district, 30 kilometers west of Bangkok, has a large Catholic community with many Religious congregations running seminaries, schools and welfare homes.

As of yesterday nearly half the district was under water and the authorities have warned the entire area will be flooded in the next few days.

The Camillian Social Center, which cares for 135 elderly residents, has evacuated everyone.

“The water level was increasing very fast, so last Sunday we moved the residents to San Camilo Hospital in Ratchaburi, 40 kilometers away,’’ the center’s director Father Sante Togetto said.

The Marie Umpatham school run by the Salesian Sisters has been inundated by water around 60 centimeters deep, forcing it to delay opening for the new semester, according to Sister Lab Somchan. A government decree has anyway ordered schools to close until November 22.

The Salesian retreat and training center Ban Thanpraporn is closed and “we also transferred elderly nuns to Ratchaburi,” Sister Lab added.

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