Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Moldova: Cold Wave - Jan 2019

Disaster description

Precarious meteorological conditions, abundant snow, low temperatures were registered between 11 and 12 January 2019 on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The level of snow throughout the country reached 30 – 190 mm, which is extreme, with most of snow falling in the central and northern part of the Republic. The Government announced code of danger “yellow” in the country. On 11-12 January the roads were closed for any movement, but after 24 hours cleaned and opened again. 14 communities in 5 districts were left without electricity for one day. Low temperatures were registered (-5 to -11 Co). Low temperatures in Moldova have been registered until the end of January. On the 20th of January several regions of the country were affected by the icy rain, which covered all the roads in snow. It is reported that in total 5,460 people were affected by the disaster. Many people with limited physical mobility and living alone were blocked in their houses limiting their ability to purchase required items, including food. Due to the lower than normal temperatures the housing condition proved to not be adequate to keep households warm. The most vulnerable are unable to afford the costs of heating and are concerned that additional costs associated with heating will indebt them further. Out of 5,460 affected people, 2,912 need Red Cross assistance. These are mainly older people, people with disabilities or people with very low income in their families. Because of their poverty, they can’t afford to heat the houses as the heating costs are very high. With the limited income, people prefer to spend money on food or for medicines rather than on heating or electricity put them at risk of developing illnesses and further exacerbating their difficult situation. (IFRC, 6 Feb 2019)

Affected Countries

Latest Updates