Broken dikes and tens of families evacuated
The flow of the Danube at the point of entry into the country is over 15,300 cubic meters per second, a record level in the last one hundred years
published 2006-04-14
Yesterday, the flow of the Danube at the entry into the country was 15,300 cubic meters per second, much over the multi-annual average of April, of 7,900 cubic meters per second, the specialists predict a new flash flood at Bazias.

45 persons were evacuated on Wednesday night, because the first protection dike that defends a neighbourhood from Fetesti, Ialomita county, against water gave in on a segment of six meters. The population is protected by a second dike, but if the waters are going to grow again it could also be affected. On Wednesday, late in the evening, a dike on Borcea branch broke down, but fortunately the authorities had foreseen it and had built in time another dike.

In Caras Severin County, the most dramatic situation remains at Ghertenis, a locality submerged during the night by the water of Fizes river, which broke the dike on a length of 30 meters and inundated over 100 houses, affecting 300 persons. Ten persons were evacuated. In Caras Severin county, 32 localities are affected by the waters, the same as 341 houses, 394 household annexes, 30 km. of roads, and over 2,500 ha. of agricultural land. 73 bridges and foot bridges were broken.

In 20 localities from Mehedinti County, the waters affected 61 households and annexes and four social institutions, damaged three dwellings and clogged 70 wells. Three county roads, nine communal roads and five foot bridges were partially destroyed.

The submerged surfaces from the same county are: 1,274 ha of arable land, 1,230 ha of grazing lands and hay-field and 550 ha of forest. Over 200 border police officers are mobilized to rescue the human lives and the material properties belonging to the citizens from the localities affected by floods.

In Dolj county, the dikes are monitored permanently. At Calafat, a dam yielded and water penetrated into a sector of the city through the sewage system. At Bechet, the harbor is flooded, circulation on the Danube towards Oreahovo is interrupted, while the waters have covered several hundreds of ha., Radio Romania Actualitati reports. Over 1,700 gendarmes are ready to intervene to rescue and evacuate the population and their assets from the submerged localities. The houses built in the area subject to flooding are evacuated.

The national road 58B, which connects Resita and Timisoara, was closed after the river Fizes covered it on a length of 800 m.

In Olt County, the inflated waters of the Danube deluged Corabia port in a proportion of 80 per cent.

Vasile Blaga: authorities ready to intervene

The Minister of Administration and Home Affairs Vasile Blaga declared yesterday, in front of Senate, that the authorities are prepared for intervention and assured that all the citizens will be defended against the possible consequences of the river floods.

The Minister of Administration also said that the current calculations consider a flow of 15,500 cubic meters per second, which however does not yet raise problems. In Constanta county, the critical point was exceeded on Wednesday, in three of the 12 riverside localities. The authorities have prepared special shelters in case that it is necessary to evacuate the population. Traffic was interrupted on the county road Cernavoda-Harsova, near the locality Dunarea, because of landslides from the embankment of the road. The specialists are steadily monitoring the level of the Danube and of its contributors, the condition of the dams and dikes. The first degree alert is also maintain on the whole Romanian sector of the Danube.

The director of the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, Petre Stanciu, presented on Wednesday, in a meeting of the Ministerial Emergency Committee, a prediction regarding the evolution of the Danube flow over the period April 13-19. The maximum flow expected at the Iron Gates II will be 15,500 cu.m. per second, and could happen on Sunday.

New floods in Banat

Banat is against hit by floods, exactly one year from the disaster that left hundreds of families without houses. On April 13, 2005, the first locality in Timis County - Gataia - was covered by floods. Last night the people were hit again by the flash floods. Timis authorities started evacuating families from three hundred houses in Gataia town, after a tributary of Barzava River had overflowed Thursday after-noon. The mayor of Barzava, Iosif Sargan, has told Mediafax that the Barzava Moarta, a tributary of Barzava River, has overflowed probably because of a broken dike in the county of Caras-Severin. 'There are 300 houses on the bank of Barzava Mare and we started evacuating people in the area. The population has already packed to make sure we don't have the damages we had last year. For the time being we have 250 accommodation places in the local school and kindergarten and we are able to provide the people with sandwiches and tea', said Sargan.

Timis Prefect Ovidiu Draganescu on Thursday made an appeal to the locals from the flooding exposed areas in the entire county to put their valuables to shelter and to wait to be evacuated in case of danger.

The people are the more scared as they have hardly reconstructed their households after the last year floods.

Landslides

Tons of rocks blocked on Wednesday evening, for over one hour, Jiu Pass. The landslide occurred at Carligul Intors, a border place between Gorj and Hunedoara counties. The authorities strived all the night to unblock the road. Only late at night traffic was opened in both directions. Over five tons of rocks and earth had fallen from the slopes blocking the European road 79. The drivers say that the landslides are frequent in the area. The police officers refused to allow the access of the heavy vehicles in the pass. They remained there the whole night to direct traffic.
by Simona Popescu