( CNN ) -- As filthy floodwater continued to seep towards central Bangkok , Thailand 's Prime Minister laid out a three-point plan to get the country back on its feet after the worst flooding in 50 years . Immediate aid will be issued to people whose homes and businesses have been destroyed by the deluge which has claimed more than 500 lives since July , Yingluck Shinawatra announced Tuesday . `` This disaster is the biggest that we have ever met . We 're trying to cope with situation and help as much as we can , '' she said . `` We ca n't stop all flooding but we will try to reduce the impact . '' Aid packages will be offered to people to help restore homes and businesses as part of a short-term recovery plan over the coming year . Details are expected to be announced next week . Longer-term plans include the formation of two committees , one to oversee reconstruction and future development and the other to manage water resources . Yingluck acknowledged criticism of the official response to the disaster by setting herself a deadline of one year to win back public confidence . The prime minister 's promises came as murky waters continued to move towards Bangkok 's city center . `` The situation is quite serious . The water is making ground slowly but surely towards the heart of Bangkok , '' flood relief co-ordinator Rungsun Munkong told CNN . He said thousands of people were refusing to leave their homes despite orders to evacuate to outer provinces . `` I believe thousands of people are in their homes and are still not evacuating , '' Rungsun said . `` ( They ) possibly will be stranded with little food and water as time goes by . '' Relief workers , distributing aid to evacuation centers in central Bangkok , said they were struggling to reach residents determined to wait out the crisis in tower blocks . `` I think it will be difficult down the road to get help to these people , '' Rungsun said . `` People need clean water , that 's the first important thing . Cooked ready-to-eat food is also quite important , baby milk and so on . '' Thailand has been inundated with its worst flood in half a century , affecting at least 25 of the country 's 77 provinces . More than 500 people had been killed in the deluge according to figures released Sunday by the country 's interior ministry . A Thailand Disaster and Mitigation Department report , issued Sunday and reported by MCOT , estimated about 3.1 million people have been affected and 4 million acres of farmland have been damaged . Moreover , the department said two people are believed missing and about 75 highways have closed . In the provinces of Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya , cleanup efforts were under way . On Sunday , the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Nonthaburi , near Bangkok . There , the government provided 100 boats to help transport people and disperse relief supplies after requests by local officials , according to MCOT . Despite public criticism of the government 's overall response , Yingluck said she would not shake up her Cabinet -- in the short-term , at least . She explained that the focus first is to address the situation , with a full evaluation and possible shuffling to be done after the crisis abates , reported MCOT . Floods are an annual occurrence in the country but have been particularly acute this year , and some residents and analysts have criticized the government 's response . `` Now the government is sending a mixed signal that the situation is fine , but the truth is it the situation far from over , '' political analyst Supong Limtanakul told CNN . `` It is a slow suffocating death of ( the ) Bangkok business area . '' The city 's main airport and two large industrial sites are also at risk , Supong said . Supong said the government did not have enough resources to deal with floodwaters , noting that officials had recently asked the private sector for water pumps to help drain water out of Bangkok . M.R . Sukhumbhand Paribatra , Bangkok 's governor , told MCOT that it may take up to two weeks to drain water out of Bangkok 's main roads , and months to drain water from smaller roads . CNN 's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report .
Thai PM lays out five - year flood management plan . Floodwater moving closer to heart of Thai people . People refusing to leave shelter , people being trapped without shelter . More than 500 people have died , interior ministry says .