Comparison of Direct Monetary Flood Damages in 2011 to Pillar House and Non-pillar House in Ayutthaya, Thailand

The historical city and associated historic towns located on central part of Thailand. Due to its topography as an island and surrounded by three main rivers, the area will be flooded around six months a year, the enemies cannot stay too long, waiting for the invasion, thus the armies eventually decided to retreat. Since study area has its location on flood-prone area, up till now flooding situation still continuously occurring, annual year in rainy season from beginning the of July till October. In September and October, the heaviest rain generally takes place, the quantity of water in river overflow and flood along riverbank. For tackling with flood disaster, Thai ancestors creatively designed the traditional house style, pillar house, which considered the natural features of water based settlement, particularly risks of flood disaster, by building a house being able to avoid the negative consequence of flood and also pointing of the cultural atmosphere. In this way, residents in vulnerable area could stably survive from the negative consequences of flood because of this kind of the distinctive architectural design. The objectives of this study are (1) to study the 2011 flood characteristics and coping with flood in study area; and (2) to study damage information in three types of housing (pillar house, two storey house, and one storey house).