Norton charity worker tells of Thai flood nightmare (From Stourbridge News)

Norton charity worker tells of Thai flood nightmare

4:50pm Tuesday 3rd January 2012 in News

A NORTON charity worker caught by devastating floods in Thailand has told how rising water threatened a childrens' home.

Ruth Martin, aged 29, was working at Rainbow House, a home for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities in Bangkok, when the city suffered massive flooding two months ago.

The former Pedmore Technology College pupil, from the Broadway, calmed the frightened children as the water advanced toward their building and in the aftermath has been helping with the clear up.

Speaking during a brief visit home to Stourbridge for Christmas, Ruth said: "The orphanages run by the charity were put on flood alert and we were told to move all our resident children and young people to the second floor of Rainbow House.

"We were given a five-hour warning to move everything on the ground floor to upstairs. The fear in the community was palpable. We fully expected opening our curtains the following day to see a river instead of a main road.

"The river had burst its banks and many houses near it were under several feet of water. I began to panic when it began to flood the main access to our house as I thought of all of the children with disabilities who were very vulnerable to infection - especially with the flood waters being so close.

"I organised some activities, including cooking and craft work, it took their minds off the flood waters."

Ruth went on to describe how members of the community around the childrens' home coped with the disaster, which claimed the lives of more than 500 people as flood water moved through Thailand towards the sea.

She said: "The local community formed a night watch team to ensure the flood defence wall wasn't breached overnight. Whenever they saw it collapsing the alarm would sound and people from nearby houses would rush out to help rebuild it."

Ruth, who has worked for the charity Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities for 16 months, has now returned to Thailand, where she is hoping life will gradually get back to normal for the children in her care.

For more information on the work of the Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities, visit www.ccdthailand.org