Many stressed, fearful

The Nation October 17, 2011 8:09 am

About one in three people feel very stressful due to news reports on the floods and some two in five are quite stressful because they fear their homes will be inun-dated, Suan Dusit Poll said in a survey released yesterday.

Fewer than one in ten said they saw the floods as a natural phenomenon, meaning there was no reason for anxiety.

One in two people said they would avoid flood-related news in order to lower the level of their anxiety.

Almost the same number of people said they chose to brace themselves for the inevitability of being flooded.

About three in five people have called for increased police patrols as a way to fight burglars taking advantage of the floods.

They also want the Commerce Ministry to rein in the prices of essential goods in the face of the inundation.

In regard to political implications, almost half the respondents did not see the floods as an opportunity to bring about reconciliation, saying inundation and politics are two separate issues.

Key conclusions drawn from the inundation include untold damage and the urgency for the government to come up with a comprehensive plan to prevent future floods.

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