Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary for the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, said on October 18 the UN is ready to support communities hit by the catastrophic floods.

But Jerry Velasquez, a senior regional coordinator with the UN’s International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) said that over the long term, countries such as Thailand need a more comprehensive framework to manage disasters, especially floods.

Floods and disasters in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines have killed more than 700 people and affected eight million others.

The Thai capital remains under threat of flood waters that have already inundated factories considered to be a key part of the country’s economic engine.

Senior city officials in Bangkok say the next 48 hours are critical for the city, where thousands of volunteers, soldiers and government workers are scrambling to shore up flood defenses.

The death toll in Thailand has reached 315 with flood waters affecting 27 provinces. Weather forecasts indicate more monsoon rains are expected in the coming days.

VOA