OMEN
04-19-2006, 08:36 PM
Bistret - Thousands of Romanians were forced to abandon their homes on Wednesday, as the rising waters of the Danube River flooded more than 100 villages.
Hundreds of villagers in Bistret, south western Romania, crowded into schools and hospitals with their livestock and poultry, as rescue workers raced to repair a breached dam that has been seeping water for days.
Further west, 500 people spent the night in army tents after the Danube flooded the village of Rast.
Authorities have evacuated 7 000 Romanians so far, including 1 000 from Bistret.
The Danube has hit its highest level in a century throughout the Balkans.
Many more may have to flee if the river continues to rise.
Bistret mayor Constantin Raicea said: "We will be forced to evacuate all the 10 000 villagers in the region, because the wind is blowing so hard and the sky is very cloudy, so we will have more problems.
Rains and snow swell river
"Workers are bringing bread, fruit and water to the schools and hospitals where people are waiting, and young people are looking after cattle and sheep which the villagers sent to the hills."
The Danube has been rising for weeks, swollen by heavy rains and melting snow.
Romanian authorities said torrential rains were expected to last until Thursday morning, with lighter rain continuing until next week.
Governments in Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia prepared for heavy damages after 170 000ha of farmland and major ports were flooded.
The Danube is a key shipping route between Western Europe and the Black Sea region and the low-lying plains around it provide some of the most fertile farmland in Europe.
One out of 10 Europeans live in the Danube basin. The region is still recovering from massive floods that killed scores of people and caused massive damage to farmland and infrastructure last year.
Locals steal sandbags
In the Bulgarian town of Silistra, the country's authorities evacuated 40 people after the Danube breached a dike that had been weakened by locals stealing sandbags.
Officials throughout the region said high water pressure, and the length of time the Danube had been at peak levels, had worsened flooding damages.
In Serbia, water levels on the Danube and other rivers were dropping - except for the Tisa in the north, which was expected to peak later in the week.
Rescue teams reinforcing dikes said they could not build up defences fast enough.
Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu appealed to people in the threatened areas to help rescue teams reinforce defences.
But TV footage showed young men playing soccer in Bistret and smoking cigarettes while gendarmes and soldiers piled sandbags on the grassy mud dam.
Reuters
Hundreds of villagers in Bistret, south western Romania, crowded into schools and hospitals with their livestock and poultry, as rescue workers raced to repair a breached dam that has been seeping water for days.
Further west, 500 people spent the night in army tents after the Danube flooded the village of Rast.
Authorities have evacuated 7 000 Romanians so far, including 1 000 from Bistret.
The Danube has hit its highest level in a century throughout the Balkans.
Many more may have to flee if the river continues to rise.
Bistret mayor Constantin Raicea said: "We will be forced to evacuate all the 10 000 villagers in the region, because the wind is blowing so hard and the sky is very cloudy, so we will have more problems.
Rains and snow swell river
"Workers are bringing bread, fruit and water to the schools and hospitals where people are waiting, and young people are looking after cattle and sheep which the villagers sent to the hills."
The Danube has been rising for weeks, swollen by heavy rains and melting snow.
Romanian authorities said torrential rains were expected to last until Thursday morning, with lighter rain continuing until next week.
Governments in Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia prepared for heavy damages after 170 000ha of farmland and major ports were flooded.
The Danube is a key shipping route between Western Europe and the Black Sea region and the low-lying plains around it provide some of the most fertile farmland in Europe.
One out of 10 Europeans live in the Danube basin. The region is still recovering from massive floods that killed scores of people and caused massive damage to farmland and infrastructure last year.
Locals steal sandbags
In the Bulgarian town of Silistra, the country's authorities evacuated 40 people after the Danube breached a dike that had been weakened by locals stealing sandbags.
Officials throughout the region said high water pressure, and the length of time the Danube had been at peak levels, had worsened flooding damages.
In Serbia, water levels on the Danube and other rivers were dropping - except for the Tisa in the north, which was expected to peak later in the week.
Rescue teams reinforcing dikes said they could not build up defences fast enough.
Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu appealed to people in the threatened areas to help rescue teams reinforce defences.
But TV footage showed young men playing soccer in Bistret and smoking cigarettes while gendarmes and soldiers piled sandbags on the grassy mud dam.
Reuters