Southeast Asia's yearly rainy season, known as the monsoon season, has brought devastating flooding to parts of the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and now Thailand. Nearly nine million people have been affected by the floods in Thailand alone.
Rice crops have been ruined and industrial production has been halted in many regions. And, many Toyota and Honda car factories are under water - about 7 percent of their global production is based in Thailand.
Thailand's low-lying riverside capital, Bangkok, and its nearly 10 million inhabitants are directly in the path of the flooding as well.
Even animals have been affected by the flooding; a herd of elephants was nearly stranded by the high water and members of the conservation group responsible for them were having a hard time bringing the animals the nearly 400 pounds of food they eat each day.
Quotes
"This is our fourth evacuation. Hopefully, we don't have to move. However, what we need the most is food." - Bandit Koboon, elephant keeper
Warm Up Questions
1. What is the monsoon season?
2. Where in the world has flooding been an issue in the past year? What sorts of problems does flooding cause?
3. Name some countries in southeast Asia.
Discussion Questions
1. Based on what you saw in the video, how does southeast Asia’s response to flooding compared to how we respond in the U.S.?
2. Why do you think low-lying cities like Bangkok in Thailand and New Orleans in the U.S. were built where they were despite the danger of flooding? How has the world and the flood risk changed since those cities were established?
3. What is a flood plain? Use this lesson plan (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/teachers/lessonplans/science/july-dec10/floodplain_09-24.html) to determine whether you live on a flood plain.
Additional Resources
