'Everything is damaged': River rises in Bangkok

BANGKOK?? The main river coursing through Thailand's capital swelled to record highs Friday, briefly flooding riverside buildings and an ornate royal complex at high tide amid fears that flood defenses could break and swamp the heart of the city.

Ankle-high water from the Chao Phraya river spilled through one sandbagged entranceway of Bangkok's treasured Grand Palace, which once housed the kingdom's monarchy. The army was pumping out the water, and tourists were still entering the white-walled compound.

The river has filled roads outside the palace gates for days, but the water has receded with the tides, leaving streets dry again.

Traffic clogged roads out of the Thai capital Friday as tens of thousands of people fled. Television footage showed cars and trucks bumper-to-bumper leaving the city and the main airport's departure lounges packed, but the traffic department said it could not put an exact figure on the size of the Bangkok exodus because much of its monitoring equipment was under water.

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But the higher than normal tides in the Gulf of Thailand, expected to peak Saturday, are obstructing the flood runoff from the north, and there are fears that the overflows could swamp parts of downtown. The government also is worried major barriers and dikes could break.

Friday's morning high tide passed without a major breach, but the waters briefly touched riverside areas closer to the city's central businesses districts of Silom and Sathorn.

"It is clear that although the high tides haven't reached 2.5 meters, it was high enough to prolong the suffering of those living outside of the flood walls and to threaten those living behind deteriorating walls," Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said.

Last act of Thai flood drama not yet written

The flood walls protecting much of the inner city are 8.2 feet, and Saturday's high tide is expected to reach 8.5 feet.

'Force of nature'
Seven of Bangkok's 50 districts ? all in the northern outskirts ? are heavily flooded, and residents have fled aboard bamboo rafts and army trucks and by wading in waist-deep water. Another eight districts have seen less serious flooding.

In Nonthaburi province bordering Bangkok, walls of sandbags were collapsing under the weight of surging floodwaters. A policeman dressed in shorts, flip-flops and a vest directed traffic on a megaphone as water gushed out of drains.

Cars with wheels submerged crawled at a snail's pace along the road and exhausted drivers were seen pushing stalled tuk-tuks ? Thailand's ubiquitous three-wheel, open-air taxis ? through the water.

Fresh flooding was reported Friday in the city's southeast when a canal overflowed in a neighborhood on the outer parts of Sukhumvit Road.

The floods, the heaviest in Thailand in more than half a century, have drenched a third of the country's provinces, killed close to 400 people and displaced more than 110,000 others. The water has crept from the central plains south toward the Gulf of Thailand, but Bangkok is in the way. It is literally surrounded by behemoth pools of water flowing around and through the city via a complex network of canals and rivers.

Tem Kaewkeow, 73, sat on a pile of tires, staring at the blank screen of a half-submerged television set.

"Everything is damaged, but what can I do? This is the force of nature," he said, shirtless and sipping on water he had boiled on a small gas stove.

"I don't plan to leave. This is my home."

Damage estimates of $6 billion could double if floods swamp Bangkok. Economic analysts say the floods have cut Thailand's 2011 GDP projections by as much as 2 percentage points.

Story: Bangkok fighting 'forces of nature,' prime minister says

The U.S. State Department cautioned against all but essential travel to areas of Thailand affected by the flooding, including Bangkok, because of transportation difficulties and shortages of certain food items.

On Thursday, an emotional Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra acknowledged her government could not control the deluge.

Video: Relentless flood waters threaten Bangkok?? (on this page)

"What we're doing today is resisting the force of nature," Yingluck told reporters. She said the water bearing down on Bangkok was so massive that "we cannot resist all of it."

Flooding has closed Bangkok's Don Muang airport, mainly used for domestic flights, but Thailand's main international airport is operating as usual.

The government's Flood Relief Operations Center says its contingency plan involves the Thai military and government agencies transporting people from evacuation points in the capital to outlying provinces.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45073270/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/

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