Bangkok , Thailand ( CNN ) -- Thailand 's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra warned Saturday that more water would pour into the capital , Bangkok , as the country endures its worst flood in half a century , state media reported . Giving her weekly television address to the nation , Shinawatra said efforts were being made to manage the flow of floodwaters to minimize the impact on residents . Extra protection would be given to historical sites , palaces , hospitals , business districts , utilities and transportation infrastructure , state-run news agency MCOT quoted her as saying . The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters for victims of flooding in affected provinces , Shinawatra said , according to the agency . There are currently more than 113,000 people staying at the shelters , which can cater for about 800,000 , she said . The government had hoped that strengthening flood barriers and widening canals would keep populated areas safe . But now the government is trying a different tack : opening floodgates to relieve pressure on dams and levees and send the water toward the sea . The decision to divert water through canals in Bangkok means parts of the city , and its surrounding suburbs such as Rangsit , are flooded . The flooding , which follows months of monsoon rains , has already killed 356 people , with nearly 9 million others affected , authorities said . Overall damage from the floods could top $ 2 billion , with the worst yet to come as the waters destroy shops and paralyze factories nationwide , the Thai Finance Ministry said . Many residents waded through dirty water in the capital Friday as they made a desperate attempt to save their belongings . Among them was a teary-eyed woman named Surirat Prapankarn , from a suburb outside Bangkok , who could be seen lugging her sodden possessions through waist-high water . Pulling her things out of her front room , Prapankarn said she was overcome with sadness when she looked at her destroyed home and at what had been lost . She wondered how she would find food for her 16 dogs . Waters rose overnight in the northern Bangkok suburb of Rangsit , giving residents little chance to save what they could . The lucky few moved out of flooded homes by boat , or anything that could float . The rest waded through water with plastic bags balanced on their heads . Pets could be seen tucked into coats or pushed inside boats . Children , meanwhile , seemed to struggle to stay on their feet against the fast-moving water . Another resident , named Saisamorn Pongsairak , said she had lived in the inundated Rangsit neighborhood all her life . `` I woke up this morning around 2 a.m. and the water was only at my ankle high . But now it is up to my waist , '' she said . Pongsairak runs a food store , which she said she refuses to close , frying chicken in waist-high water on an elevated stove . Thailand 's prime minister has urged all Bangkok residents to move their belongings to higher ground as government workers endeavor to contain the flooding . Government spokeswoman Thitima Chaisaeng said the move was a precautionary measure . To protect their cars , residents double parked along elevated highways , making it nearly impossible to navigate a city where traffic is congested on a normal day . On Thursday , authorities expressed confidence that the main international airport , Suvarnabhumi Airport , was prepared to withstand the water 's impact . Airport officials said a 3.5-meter-high flood prevention wall protects the airport . Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism . CNN 's Kocha Olarn and Karen Smith contributed to this report .
NEW : Thailand 's prime minister warns of more flooding to come in the capital . NEW : More than 113,000 people have taken refuge in emergency shelters . Floodwaters pour through the northern Bangkok suburb of Rangsit . The flooding is the worst in Thailand in half a century .