PERFECT STORM

Bangkok Braces for More Floods

Highest tide expected to hit Saturday.

Bangkok prepared for its worst flooding since 1942 as more rains were expected this weekend and the highest tide is predicted for Saturday. Bangkok’s outer suburbs are already inundated, and waters are expected to rise to 13 feet at high tide on Saturday. Thailand’s capital faces a so-called perfect storm, as the equivalent of 480,000 Olympic-size pools of water are being dumped on the city while high tide has been trying to push water into Bangkok. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered work crews to cut channels to roadways to allow the water to drain faster, while floodwaters encroached on the walls of the city’s Grand Palace. Fears about residents’ health are increasing, and the government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of the deadly reptiles lurking in the floodwaters.