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

Romania

Romania: Four counties are very affected by the floods

The Minister of Administration and Interior, Mr. Vasile Blaga, to the beginning of the reunion of the National Committee for Emergencies - where was also present the President Traian Basescu - presented the last evaluations: Four counties are very affected by the floods from the last days: Bacau, Braila, Vrancea and Galati, where there are registered over 85% from the damages.

The centralized data show that in Bacau, Braila, Vrancea and Galati there are two thirds of the flooded houses. In addition, here are the most victims, 13, from 15, deceased because of the floods. The other two were registered in Alba and Tulcea counties.

The Minister of Administration and Interior announced that other two persons are deceased in Vrancea County, but the cause of the decease was not confirmed. The President Traian Basescu requested the starting of an investigation in the localities from Vrancea county, where deceased nine persons. "Please, start immediately the investigations and establish if the communities were well informed and if the warning was transmitted until the last man, because only this can be the explication concerning the vast number of the dead persons in Vrancea County." The investigations will verify if the local authorities have sent in time to the population the warnings regarding the floods.

In the other counties, where the damages are smaller, the Ministry of Administration and Interior decided to decrease the mobilization degree of the troupes, from the level 2 to level 1, in order to permit the recommencement of the ordinary activity in the caserns.

This morning, in Tudor Vladimirescu locality was major problems. Mr. Vasile Blaga was in this locality to verify the situation. He is accompanied by the Minister of Health, Mr. Mircea Cinteza and by the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Sulfina Barbu.

The Minister Blaga announced that the county public health directions would start the operations of disinfection and disinfestations in the affected localities. The gendarmerie and the police assist in to the distribution of foods and potable water, and assure the good safeguard of the citizens' goods from the evacuated localities. "The county and local committees for emergencies will proceed to the organization of technical teams for the evaluation of the damages produced to the buildings, road and environment infrastructure, as well as to the nets that assure the public utilities," said the Minister of Administration and Interior.

Mr. Blaga asserted that in the next 5-6 hours the teams of the Ministry of Transport would cannot interfere for the re-establishment of the circulation on the road between Galati and Tecuci. Moreover, the representatives of the Ministry of Environment operate in Garoafa locality from Vrancea County, for the neutralization of a quantity of over 50 t of petroleum, caused by the smash of a pipeline.

To reduce the effects of the floods in Braila County, the pyrotechnics of the Ministry of Defence have made, last night, a gap in Corbi Vechi locality, said Mr. Blaga. In the localities menaced by floods continued the consolidation operations of the dams with sand bags.

Mr. Blaga has requested to the Ministry of Economy and Commerce to expedite the repairs to the gas pipeline that supply Focsani town, to generate the possibility that the bread factories from this locality to reassume their activity.

In Bacau County there are problems in the feeding with potable water, but the local authorities assure, for four hours, the supply of potable water in Bacau town, said Mr. Blaga.

The Minister Gheorghe Flutur disposed the displacement in Braila County of 44 pumps for the fast evacuation of the waters.

Bacau, Braila, Galati and Vrancea counties:

  • affected localities - 103
  • flooded houses/buildings - 10.836
  • destroyed houses - 509
  • damaged houses - 1.819
  • housewifely annexes - 6.529
  • evacuated persons - 12.998
  • agrarian lands - 85.583 ha
  • hay and grass fields - 1.290 ha
  • national roads - approximately 62 km
  • county roads - approximately 149 km
  • communal roads - approximately 232 km
  • bridges - 122
  • footbridges - 640
  • wells - 14.564
  • localities without energy supply - 189 affected social objectives