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Balkans: Floods - May 2014

Disaster description

Continuous, heavy rainfall in mid-May 2014 resulted in extensive flooding in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

In Serbia, the floods affected some 1.6 million people and resulted in 51 casualties, of which 23 were due to drowning. Around 32,000 people were evacuated from their homes The majority of evacuees found accommodation with relatives, but some 5,000 required temporary shelters in camps established by the Government and the Serbian Red Cross. Health facilities, schools and agricultural lands were damaged. On 15 May the Government declared a state of emergency for its entire territory. (Govt, 15 Jul 2014)

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, over a million people were affected by flooding, almost 90,000 were displaced, and 25 casualties were recorded. The severe and widespread rains triggered over 3,000 landslides. Floods and/or landslides hit 75,000 houses, of which 25,000 were severely damaged or destroyed, and also caused extensive damage to livelihoods, health and water and sanitation facilities. (IFRC, 21 Jun 2014)

In Croatia, the floods caused widespread power outages, water shortages, damage to the infrastructure, livestock and livelihoods, and displacement. Three people were killed, and, out of the estimated 15,000 people evacuated, more than 7,000 were registered and looked after by the Croatian Red Cross. (IFRC, 30 May 2014)

Flooding was also reported in Romania and Bulgaria (ECHO, 24 Apr 2014).

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