Romania announced highest-degree flooding alarm, while Danube levels in western Bulgara are slowly starting to drop. Photo by BGNES.
A maximum-degree flooding alert has been declared in Danubian regions of Romania, after the river level reached historical highs at a number of locations.
Romanian PM Emil Boc called an emergency meeting of the cabinet to tackle the situation, commenting that Romania this week is facing “dangerous meteorological and hydrological events”.
The level of the river Danube surpassed its historical highs at three cities in Eastern Romania – Fete?ti, Br?ila and Galati – all of them located far downstream on the Danube. The situation is most dire at Galati, where a 4.5 km levee is currently being erected with the help of gendarmes, police and volunteers.
During the past days, as many as 25 people died in Romania as a result of flooding.
In the Bulgarian sector, where the situation is not as grave but still critical, there have been no casualties.
Sunday record levels were reported for eastern downstream Bulgarian cities of Russe and Silistra. Monday a level of 816 cm was reported for Russe, where the river flooded Port West and other facilities. The Russenski Lom river - a right tributary flowing into the Danube at Russe - also overflowed Monday.
In the western Bulgarian town of Lom, where the situation has been the most critical, no change of river level (865 cm) has been reported.
A drop of 4 cm has been reported by hydrological authorities at upstream western Bulgarian towns of Novo Selo and Vidin.