Thailand supplies about 40 percent of the world's hard disk drives -- the heart and muscle of most computers -- and is also a major producer of parts that are shipped to hard-disk-drive makers in other countries. With many factory floors now under water, the country's hard drive output could be slashed by 25 to 40 percent, according to research firm IDC.

That in turn would force computer makers to scramble to find

other sources of hard drives and pinch their profit margins should the dearth of the devices push prices up. Other industries could be hurt, as well. Semiconductor manufacturers, for instance, could experience a slow-down in chip sales should production of desktops and laptops slip as a result of the shortages. Even companies offering cloud computing or heavily reliant on the technology, such as Facebook, Google (GOOG) and Amazon, could suffer if they need to acquire more hard disk drives to increase storage capacity in the short term.