Balkans battle record flood levels

Towns, villages inundated as Danube bursts its banks

Monday, April 17, 2006

(CNN) -- Flooding caused by relentless rain and melting snow has reached record levels on Europe's Danube river as authorities battle to keep rising waters from sweeping through towns and villages.

Hundreds of people had abandoned their homes on Monday as the advancing river burst its banks and overwhelmed flood defenses in Bulgaria , Romania and Serbia.( See a map of the affected area )

"People are practically running away from the flooded areas with boats, horse carriages and cars," Nicoleta Dragusin, a journalist with Romania 's Realitatea TV told CNN.

"There are hundreds of evacuees at this moment living in schools, in safe areas and also in special shelters provided by authorities."

An emergency tent camp for 1,200 people was also being set up just outside the city of Vidin , in northwest Bulgaria , The Associated Press said.

Dragusin described how one town was evacuated late Sunday after a dam broke, sending a two-meter wave crashing through the area.

"Emergency crews have been working for 10 hours last night to rebuild that dam."

Overnight, the Danube -- Europe's second longest river -- reached an all-time high of 31-feet near Veliko Gradiste, a town 96 kilometers (60 miles) east of Belgrade, AP reported.

Dragusin said the Romanian government had ordered the controlled flooding of thousands of acres of farmland and forest to divert water from populated areas, a tactic that appeared to be succeeding.

"The controlled flooding is bearing fruit, triggering lower water levels in some locations," deputy Environment Minister Lucia Varga told the Reuters news service.

In Romania 's Brailia province, authorities were preparing to partially destroy an existing dam in a controlled flooding operation aimed at alleviating a river flow of more than 16,000 cubic meters per second.

"We can keep here around 300 million cubic meters of water just to save the situation down river, ministry of agriculture official Stefan Gheorghe told CNN. (…)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/04/17/balkans.floods/

 

The protection of individuals and their goods is the priority of the authorities in this moment and for this reason, today, we have made a series of measures which would allow the state institutions to preventively intervene, Prime Minister Calin Popescu – Tariceanu has stated today, at the end of the meeting of the National Committee for Emergencies.

 

Today, the National Committee for Emergencies has decided the emergency state to be declared in the counties situated longwise Danube . The Head of the Executive has explained that the declaration of the emergency state takes into account certain risks and allows the local authorities to intervene, especially to evacuate those persons who refuse to leave their dwellings. “ I have decided in the presence of the president, that the decreeing the emergency state is not necessary. But taking into account the need to prevent the effects of floods, I have decided to declare the emergency state in all counties longwise Danube . This allows the intervention in a certain manner, the evacuation of those who are in the floodable areas. We know that there are people who refused to leave their dwellings and this is understandable. But we cannot endanger the life of people (…). We are interested in protecting the life of the citizens ”, Prime Minister has stated.

The Head of the Executive has stated that in situations of this kind, all firms who hold transport or constructions equipments necessary to intervention actions are compelled to put them at the authorities' disposal.

Prime Minister Tariceanu has showed that these measures will be made at local level by the county inspectorates of the National Committee for Emergencies, together with the prefect and the local authorities.

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Vasile Blaga has explained that the emergency state allows the authorities to forcibly evacuate the population that refuses to leave the areas in danger and to appeal to state reserves in order to withdraw the products necessary to population.

Prime Minister has underlined that the authorities have analyzed the situation of the flows and they are preoccupied by the prevention of the effects of possible floods. ” Today, we have decided the controlled flooding of some uninhabited areas of what there was in the past the Danube Meadow, in order to prevent the accidental floods which would generate important material damage and casualties. It is better to flood in a controlled way the agricultural areas ”, Prime Minister Tariceanu has stated.

There have been established four areas which will be flooded in a controlled way: Ghidici – Rast – Bistret and the area Bistret- Nedeea Jiu of Dolj County , Gostinu – Greaca – Arges area of Arges County and the area Borcea de Jos of Ialomita County . About 2 billions cubic meters of water will be drained in these areas. Thus, 92.000 hectares will be flooded.

The Head of the Executive has announced that he will pay a visit today in Dolj County and the Ministers Sulfina Barbu, Gheorghe Dobre, Teodor Atanasiu, Vasile Blaga and Gheorghe Flutur will go in the country in order to analyze the way the local authorities rally and take the measures there are needed.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Sulfina Barbu has stated that over the following days, there is no risk of floods on the affluents of Danube because there are resources to take over flows bigger than the ones habitually registered.

“ There is no risk for the waters to get out of control ”, Minister Sulfina Barbu has said further to the meeting of the National Committee for Emergencies.

The Minister of Environment has stated that the Institute which designed the dam across Danube has presented the technical solution for the controlled overflows which are to be performed. The technical solution includes choosing the routes, the length of works, the materials necessary to be used, the elements of dams and the period for works performance, the Minister of the Environment has explained.

“ On the spot, the works will be supervised by representatives of designer and Land Improvements National Society and the National Committee for Emergencies ”, Minister Barbu has stated.

The Minister of Administration and Interior Mr. Vasile Blaga has stated that all intervention forces are prepared to act to protect people and their goods. “ Everybody is prepared to intervene in any moment ”, Minister Blaga has stated.

He has made an evaluation of the damage of the floods occurred these days. He has shown that 532 persons have been evacuated, most of them in Caras – Severin County , 99 localities have been flooded, and 2037 household annexes have been affected.

Over the following period, the prefects, the representatives of the Committees for local emergency situations and the Ministry of Agriculture will make evaluations on the damage produced by floods, Minister Vasile Blaga has stated.

Today, the National Committee for Emergencies has analyzed the situation of the flows of Danube and the measures which will be taken over the following days to prevent and limit the floods' effects.

Government of Romania - Press office - 14.04.2006