Pattrapong Pattrapasit, Deputy Minister of Transport, together with Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, visited the temporary shelter at Wat Ban Kaeng in Ban Kaeng subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Sawan district, Nakhon Sawan province, to offer encouragement and hand out relief bags to flood victims. The delegation then traveled on to Sak Ngam subdistrict in Khlong Lan district, Kamphaeng Phet province, to inspect the Nong Prue-Tha Kabak bridge, whose structure was severely damaged by flash floods, cutting off the road connecting to the bridge. Pattrapong said that several days of continuous heavy rain had affected a total of 8 road and bridge sites, with 3 heavily damaged locations: the Ban Khlong Phrai road, the community bridge across Khlong Wang Chao, and the Ban Nong Prue-Tha Kabak bridge, which no vehicles can cross. The Ministry of Transport has drawn up a two-phase response plan. In the urgent phase, it will coordinate with the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and related agencies to procure temporary steel bridges or Bailey bridges and install them in the affected areas as quickly as possible, especially at the Nong Prue-Tha Kabak site, which spans about 96 meters. The situation will be reassessed after the monsoon period ends between October 5 and 9, and the embankment is expected to be reinforced to support the installation of a Bailey bridge. In the long term, the Ministry of Transport will allocate a budget to build new bridges to replace the damaged ones as quickly as possible.
Emera Lifts Quarterly Dividend to CA$0.74 Per Share
Emera has raised its quarterly dividend to CA$0.74 per share, implying an annual payout of CA$2.96, a 1% increase from the previous CA$2.93 level. The move comes after a softer stretch for the share price, with a 90 day return down 7.98% and a 30 day return down 1.88%, though the 1 year total shareholder return of 6.77% and 3 year total shareholder return of 68.08% reflect longer-term momentum. The most followed valuation narrative pegs Emera's fair value at roughly CA$74.45 per share, above the recent CA$68.42 close, framing the higher dividend as an 8% undervalued case. That view rests on heavy investment in grid modernization, renewables including a $2+ billion solar expansion in Florida, and infrastructure resilience, but faces risks from refinancing needs and exposure to cyber incidents and extreme weather. On valuation, Emera trades at 21.8x earnings, above Canadian peers at 20.9x and the wider North American utilities group at 19.8x, while the fair ratio sits higher at 29x.
Ekniti Visits Khlong Rangsit Water Gate, Orders Preparations for New Rain Wave, Set to Convene Three-Party Water Management Talks
Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, visited the water gate and semi-permanent pumping station at the mouth of Khlong Rangsit in Ban Mai subdistrict, Mueang district, Pathum Thani province, to monitor the water situation and the drainage of water from Khlong Rangsit Prayunsak into the Chao Phraya River. He was assigned by Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, to prepare for a new wave of rainfall. Ekniti stated that the main problem stems from the volume of water flowing in from Nakhon Nayok province, while the northern water situation remains stable and has not yet caused severe impact. The government has already procured additional water pumps for the area after Pathum Thani province previously requested small pumps or high-speed pumps, and he instructed the provincial governor to make the care of the public the top priority. Regarding the case of Ongkharak district and Khlong 12, where there is a proposal to divert some water to the Rangsit side, Ekniti said water must be managed in an integrated, system-wide manner, since the Rangsit area itself receives water from Ongkharak and Nakhon Nayok, while Bangkok also continues to face flooding problems. He therefore plans to convene a joint meeting of the three parties within one to two days to set a unified water management approach from upstream to downstream, including accelerating drainage in downstream areas such as Samut Prakan province. He also instructed coordination with the electricity authority to prepare backup generators, since power outages in the past have prevented pumps from operating at full efficiency.
PM Anutin Orders 14 Southern Provinces to Declare Disaster Zones Immediately Without Waiting for Floods
Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Interior Minister, chaired a meeting of the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command to monitor flood situations nationwide. He instructed provincial governors in areas prone to or forecast to face disasters to exercise their authority as provincial disaster prevention and mitigation directors and consider declaring disaster zones without waiting for the disaster to occur, and to consider spending budgets based on actual needs in line with regulatory criteria. Anutin also emphasized four directives for accelerating flood management, particularly speeding up damage assessments and approving compensation of 9,000 baht for people affected since September 25-26, 2026, as well as restoring areas where water has receded, public utilities, and preparing Big Cleaning plans. He also ordered governors of 14 southern provinces to prepare for heavy rainfall according to weather forecasts by reviewing area-specific response plans, preparing rescue teams, water pumps, boats, shelters, and evacuation plans for vulnerable groups. He assigned Acting Sub-Lt. Trakul Thotham, Inspector-General of the Interior Ministry, to drill shelter management guidelines with all 14 southern provincial governors, using the shelter at Prince of Songkla University's Hat Yai campus as a standard shelter. He also ordered Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, along with Jaraseth Thaiseth, Deputy Interior Minister, to quickly drill damage assessment guidelines for claiming insurance compensation under the national insurance policy together with relevant agencies.
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