Bucharest Daily News

May 11, 2006

Romania included in flood warning system
Oana Dan

Authorities could be warned on the risk of floods at least ten days in advance, following the signing of a cooperation accord between the Hydrology Institute and the Joint Research Center yesterday.
The agreement stipulates that Romania be included in the area of the European flood alert system, which will make it possible for authorities to learn three to ten days in advance about possible flooding.
A member of the European Commission, Ad de Roo , presented the advantages of such a system for Romania , saying that after its adoption authorities will have much more time to take preventive measures.
He also said that the European Commission is to give assistance in administering the aid during a flood crisis.
The state secretary for Research, Anton Anton , said the best thing possible for Romania is to be accepted in such a program, especially because its neighbors are all members of this flood prevention program.
He explained that this issue cannot be tackled only locally, as from now on the information on the rivers' flows will be gathered from the whole region.
The head of the Hydrology Institute, Petre Stanciu , explained that the program proved to be more than useful last year in the case of the floods in Bacau County , which were anticipated six days before happening.
Romania has been severely damaged by floods this year with the Danube 's breaking of the dams and also last year when the heavy rainfalls led to several rivers overflowing and destroying thousands of hectares of crop land, kilometers of roads and thousands of households.