The Cabinet approved a central budget of 558 million baht to provide flood relief in 2026 for more than 60,971 households across 41 provinces. Families of those who died will receive 2 million baht each. The Prime Minister ordered the expedited disbursement of funds and urged that the documentation burden on citizens not be increased.
On 25 August 2026, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed concern for citizens affected by the floods since the early rainy season. Many have suffered damage to life, property, homes, agricultural land, and public utilities due to floods, flash floods, and landslides. He instructed in the Cabinet meeting that relevant agencies expedite relief payments directly to affected people without causing unnecessary paperwork burdens. Existing government data should be coordinated and verified internally, avoiding requiring struggling citizens to obtain multiple documents from various agencies to confirm damages repeatedly.
The Cabinet resolved to approve a central budget framework from the 2026 fiscal year's contingency fund, allocating 558,739,000 baht to support flood victims during the 2026 rainy season. This is based on criteria, conditions, and methods for initial living expense aid and special funeral assistance as proposed by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and further endorsed by the Cabinet as follows.
1. For households residing in areas affected by flooding, landslides, flash floods, mountain runoff, overflow, or drainage issues lasting no more than 7 days with property damage, aid will be provided at 9,000 baht per household.
2. For households with residences submerged in water for more than 7 consecutive days, aid will also be 9,000 baht per household (covering a total of 60,971 households).
3. For deaths directly caused by landslides or flooding, such as drowning or being swept away by floodwaters, a special assistance of 2,000,000 baht per case will be provided (covering 5 cases in Nan province).
Ms. Ratchada said the Cabinet had previously approved on 21 April 2026 the principle of establishing a fund for disaster relief and recovery. However, since setting up the fund requires time and may not meet urgent needs, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), together with the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) and related agencies, has been directed to introduce an insurance system to assist disaster victims. They are to expedite the formulation of principles, models, and operational guidelines to propose to the Cabinet for consideration next week during the Cabinet meeting in Songkhla province.
