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Chest-high Floodwaters Force Phnom Penh Evacuations

Aun Chhengpor

   PHENOM PENH - Saom Sreypov, a garment worker, saved whatever she could
   from her wages and accumulated $38,000 over time.

   She used that nest egg to buy an apartment in a project supervised by
   Borey Sansimex, one of hundreds of developers in Cambodia's capital,
   Phnom Penh, and surrounding provinces.

   Her apartment is on Street 217, which connects Phnom Penh's western
   districts to the new international airport about 30 kilometers south of
   the city. The apartment's location suggested it would increase in value
   as the district grew into its economic potential.

   "It is a developing area with more new property projects coming in,"
   Saom Sreypov said. An added plus: "I really liked it."

   Saom Sreypov spoke with VOA Khmer while waiting to collect whatever was
   saved from the apartment after she fled Wednesday night as floodwaters
   submerged her neighborhood in the wake of tropical storms.

   Usually, it is the Mekong River that floods parts of Cambodia, but the
   current floods came when the Prek Thnot overflowed after a tropical
   storm dumped torrents of rain. The flooding forced thousands of
   residents to evacuate from gated communities in southwestern and
   southern Phnom Penh.

   The water came up to Saom Sreypov's neck.

   "I never ever expected [the area]could be flooded by Prek Thnot," Saom
   Sreypov said as she sat in front of the Prey Chrey Market in Phnom
   Penh's Dangkor district. "I have no idea how to fix it as I have
   already settled down here."

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