Bangkok residents told to prepare for flood

BANGKOK—Flooding that has inundated much of Thailand’s agricultural heartland, paralyzed hundreds of factories and threatened to burst into the capital has also decimated confidence in the government that took power in August.

Bangkok’s city government on Wednesday urged residents in seven northern districts of the city to move belongings to safe spots, but did not yet call for an evacuation.

The warning, days after some officials indicated the worst threat had passed, came as flooding in areas directly north of the city worsened despite frantic government efforts to stave off the water.

Mixed messages by the government have left people confused about the threat. A poll this week found that 87 percent of 415 people surveyed did not trust information from the government’s flood command center.