Bangkok , Thailand ( CNN ) -- The central business district of Bangkok dodged severe flooding Saturday afternoon , but surrounding areas of the bustling capital faced further inundation at the next high tide . A dreaded tide on Saturday spurred residents ' fears that it would overwhelm defenses along the Chao Phraya River and its many canals . Bangkok 's outer suburbs were already submerged , but the central city has been largely spared the misery Thailand has been suffering for months in the nation 's worst flooding since 1942 . In the east and the north of the city , water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods . But the city -- which sits barely above sea level -- still faces two converging threats . Massive runoff was flowing south to the sea through Bangkok , as high tides pushed the water in the opposite direction . `` The challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the Gulf of Thailand , '' a Red Cross bulletin said . Bangkok 's Chinatown area -- normally hopping with activity on a Saturday afternoon -- was largely desolate , with few passers-by wading in knee-deep water . Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered work crews Friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage , according to the MCOT news agency . But the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps , the Bangkok Post reported . Health concerns were rising with the water . Bangkok residents plodded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within , the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials . The government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater . `` We were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters , and every day we see children playing in the water , bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground , '' said Annie Bodmer-Roy , spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency Save the Children . As floodwater entered homes , some Bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave . Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was going 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 also was flooded . `` The water level is 2 meters ( six feet ) high and smells very bad , '' she said . The Bangkok Post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs , and would pick up residents of the capital on Saturday and take them out of Bangkok . As of Saturday , an estimated 1 million of the city 's 12 million residents had left . Another Bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house , which has been flooded for five days , and would not leave . Panic buying has led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital , residents said . And the worst might not yet be over . Another high tide -- expected to reach about 4 meters ( 13 feet ) high -- is forecast for Sunday morning . Officials urged tourists to steer clear of Bangkok , while noting that many of the other tourist spots , such as Phuket , remained dry and open for business . Thailand 's Ministry of Public Health had transferred 280 of the capital 's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry , the MCOT news agency reported . The remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by Sunday , it said , citing Permanent-Secretary for Health Paichit Varachit . Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that , after months of flooding , 107,101 Thais have been diagnosed with stress , 6,214 with depression and 878 at risk of suicide . In all , 1,356 people were under observation by health officials , the minister said , according to MCOT . The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday , 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 floods , caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers , have killed 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people , . 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 , Kocha Olarn , Ivan Cabrera , Moni Basu , Aliza Kassim and Elizabeth Yuan contributed to this report .
Some areas outside of central Bangkok are covered in waist - deep water . The flooding in Thailand is the worst since 1975 and has killed 373 people . Thailand is dealing with massive flooding from monsoon rains compounded by high tide . Another high tide of about 4 m ( 13 ft ) is forecast for Sunday morning .