Thai officials say they can no longer hold back the floodwaters that are bearing down on the capital.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is facing her first crisis since taking office in August, said Thursday she has ordered officials to open the city’s floodgates and let the water pour through Bangkok’s canals to the sea.

Officials say they are unsure whether water will overflow the canals into city streets, repeating the scenes of devastation already playing out in suburbs north of the capital.