Bangkok , Thailand ( CNN ) -- High tide on Friday sent some water pouring into the Bangkok 's Chinatown area , but it receded within a few hours , while the commercial district remained largely dry . Those who have stayed in the city despite the government 's pleas to leave are waiting to see if the highest tide , forecast to come Saturday afternoon , will overwhelm defenses along the city 's river and many canals and bring more damaging floods . Floodwaters that drenched much of central and lower parts of northern Thailand crept Thursday into Bangkok , stressing embankments and flooding roads , parking lots , factories and markets and sending many residents fleeing for dry ground . Up to 1 meter ( 3.2 feet ) of water was expected in some areas , said Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra , as the Chao Phraya River spilled into the city of 12 million people . Several districts were under a mandatory evacuation order . `` There is water from underground coming up , '' said Pracha Promnok , chief of the Flood Relief Operations Center . `` We are unable to do anything ( to stop it ) . '' Yingluck fielded criticism that the flood relief center had not done enough and -- with tears in her eyes -- called on the public to sympathize with emergency staff , as some of them had also become victims of the flooding . `` Many are exhausted and some problems can not be controlled and were not caused by ( the center ) , '' Yingluck said , according to MCOT . Thailand 's government declared public holidays through the rest of the month in 21 flood-affected provinces , and appealed to Bangkok residents to head to the countryside . People flocked to bus terminals and crowded the Suvarnabhumi Airport , the main airport , in hopes of reaching higher ground . The smaller domestic airport , its runways inundated , was closed until November 1 , but Suvarnabhumi was operating normally , protected by 3.5 meters ( almost 12 feet ) of dikes , said Toopetch Booyarith of the Airport Authority of Thailand . `` We are confident that we will not be affected , '' Toopetch said . CNNGo : Updated info for tourists . The streets of the normally bustling metropolis that is notorious for massive traffic jams stood empty Thursday , save for a few public buses and taxis that were able to navigate through . There was even water standing before the Grand Palace , perhaps the most adored of Bangkok 's landmarks . In some neighborhoods vacated by people , domestic animals were left to fend for themselves . `` You 'll see dogs stranded on rooftops , dogs trying to swim , '' said Marcelo Cacciola , of the Soi Dog Foundation . `` So we went to these little towns around the Bangkok area with boats and rescued the dogs . '' Some hotels slashed prices to accommodate the flood-affected and some tourist areas reported full occupancies . In the resort town of Pattaya , fleeing Bangkok residents found it hard to get a room in hotels overflowing with European tourists , the Bangkok Post reported . Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was planning to leave Bangkok to stay with relatives outside the city . `` Some families in southern Bangkok had their house flooded , '' said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company , which was shut after it , too , was flooded . `` The water level is two meters ( six feet ) high and smells very bad , '' she said . She said the military had set up a flood relief center , `` but now even that has water coming in it . '' UNICEF said it was providing $ 300,000 in aid that includes 20,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets . The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas . It noted that most tourist destinations , such as Phuket and Chiang Mai , were unaffected . U.S . Ambassador Kristie Kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next . The United States has already provided civilian relief resources , including water pumps , water purifiers and life vests , she said , and two U.S. helicopters are helping the Thai military determine the extent of the flooding . The floods , caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers , have killed 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people , authorities said . Are you there ? Share photos , video but stay safe . The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede from some areas . The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide , and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge in them . Overall damage from the floods could exceed $ 6 billion , the Thai Finance Ministry said . CNN 's Sara Sidner , Aliza Kassim and Elizabeth Yuan contributed to this report . Kocha Olarn reported from Bangkok and Moni Basu from Atlanta .
NEW : High tide sends water flooding into Bangkok 's Chinatown area . The prime minister says Bangkok is entering a critical crisis . A holiday was declared so that residents could flee to safer ground . Flooding has killed 300 people and affected more than 1 million .