Czech Rep.: Flood emergency ends in Prague, but clean-up continues

Prague (dpa) - A flood emergency that has gripped Prague since August ended Thursday, but a city spokesman said public services in the capital will not return to normal until at least next spring.

Moreover the city is still struggling to raise funds to cover clean-up and repairs costs totaling about 30 billion koruna (1 billion dollars), said spokesman Martin Kabuka.

Prague was in the bull's eye of summer floods that swept the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany, claiming dozens of lives and wracking up billions of dollars in damage.

The state of emergency expiring at 11:59 p.m. Thursday began when the Vltava River burst its banks and forced 50,000 to flee low-lying sections of Prague. The 1,000-year-old city's historic district as well as several residential areas were especially hard-hit.

Most evacuees have returned home. But hundreds from the Karlin and Lahovice neighbourhoods are still waiting for permission to go back to their water-damaged flats, Kabuka said.

Since the river receded construction crews have been working around the clock to repair - or in some cases demolish - damaged buildings, roads, utility systems and subway stations.

The city's tourism industry, which fell 30 per cent after the flood, is slowly recovering now that most hotels, shops and historic sites have reopened.

On Friday, officials planned grand re-openings for a key road that runs along the river on the city's north end, the car-truck Letensky tunnel near the centre, and the Stefanikuv bridge.

''Many streets will be opening in the next few days,'' Kabuka said. But several bridges and parts of major streets will remain closed to normal traffic until the public transit system is back on track, Kabuka said. And that won't happen until late March, when the entire Metro subway system is expected to be running again.

Some of the Metro's 25, flood-damaged stations have already reopened. Kabuka said all stations on Line C are to reopen by November 18, and Line A should be back to normal by mid-January. All stations on the system's Line B, however, won't be ready until the end of March.

Repairing the Metro is expected to cost 6 billion koruna. The city has asked the Czech government to cover half the cost.

Another major headache is the city's sewage treatment plant. The plant was knocked out by the flood, leaving officials no choice but to dump raw waste into the Vltava for six weeks. And although the plant is partly repaired, Kabuka said it could be a year before it's able to properly process sewage for the city of 1.3 million.

Despite the mess, officials insist Prague will be ready to host thousands of foreign dignitaries and guests at a NATO summit Nov. 21-22. dpa ej bg

AP-NY-10-31-02 0825EST