I’m the supervisor of a team of volunteers that work hand in hand with the relief services and the government to keep these donation stations open. I organize donations and see what supplies need to go where.
BK: Is the government managing the situation well?
It’s really difficult to say. I think they’re doing the best they can but it’s probably not enough. It’s also hard to say what they can do better because we really don’t know the severity of the situation outside of Bangkok. It’s an incredibly difficult position to manage a flooding country to begin with, and I really find it hard to directly criticize those in charge. Now, it’s really up to people to come together and help themselves and each other. We can’t rely on the government alone to solve this problem. Everyone has to prepare on their own.
We’re open 24 hours a day, but my staff and I will come from 10 o’clock to midnight. It’s a really long day. The [Dust Thani] hotel will be using this space soon, so we’ll have to move everything out and then eventually move it back. We plan on being open for about two months, but we’ll see what happens, because at this point there’s no telling what can happen. I have a great team of volunteers doing their bit and helping out at this station.
BK: What has been donated? What else needs to be donated?
We’ve had all kinds of things donated, including medicine, which is what we need the most. Malaria is an increasing problem that we need to prepare for. The conditions are perfect for it to spread rapidly, so we could really use more medicine, and specifically malaria pills. We’ve gotten everything from clothes, to water to toiletries. People have been very generous so far and I know that many are very grateful for their efforts.
