Romania struggles to shelter flood victims

Thousands of Romanians who fled areas flooded by the Danube River are now facing crowded conditions in tent communities and dwindling food supplies, residents and volunteers told reporters.

With waters still rising after about two weeks of flooding, hundreds have taken refuge in tents on a hill overlooking the central village of Chiselet. Some moved into makeshift shelters made from plastic sheets, while others crammed into army tents. Food is running low, they say, and there are no toilets, forcing them to use a nearby field.

Volunteers and authorities brought bread, water and canned foods – provided by the government – and promised to set up portable toilets tomorrow.

“We are distributing food, including canned food,” volunteer Constantin Stoica said, speaking from one camp housing 100 evacuated residents.

It is a situation seen along the length of Romania’s southern border, where the Danube – Europe’s second-largest river – has reached record levels in the past weeks due to melting snow and heavy rains.

About 148 communities have been affected by flooding, and more than 15,000 people have been forced to evacuate, the Interior Ministry said today. Last week, the United States said it would donate 250,000 dollars (£140,000) to help flood victims, according to the US Embassy in Bucharest.

Near Chiselet, a riverside village of 3,400 people, dead rats and moles were seen floating among floodwater debris. The army evacuated a local shepherd and his 250 sheep today. Other animals had already been pulled to safety, residents said.

In nearby Spantov, hundreds more villagers were crowded into tents, saying their food stores also were running low and they were without toilets. They were among some 1,800 people evacuated three days ago, but others were staying with relatives or in schools.

“We haven’t had reports of any illnesses. We are taking measures to prevent it. Of course there are risks, but authorities have been mobilised,” community police spokesman Bogdan Nicolae said, without giving details. Disinfectant has been sprayed over some areas to prevent the spread of disease, according to television reports.

Villagers in Rast, western Romania, told Realitatea TV they detected a foul smell coming from a cemetery flooded a week ago, and animal corpses floating in floodwaters.

In the eastern port of Galati, the river was at a new record level of 21.8 feet – 1.8ins higher than the 1897 record.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu blamed the flooding on Romania’s system of dykes – built under communism in the 1960s and 1970s to reclaim land for agriculture. Many have cracked or crumbled, however, under the weight of excess water.

Near the western village of Bechet, a dyke broke overnight, sending water surging into village homes.

In the eastern port of Tulcea, a dyke cracked late yessterday and caused flooding to some areas, forcing residents to stay with family and friends. There was no power, and food was scarce in some flooded areas, Realitatea TV reported.

There have been no deaths from the recent flooding. Last year heavy flooding throughout Romania killed at least 70 people.

Areas in Ukraine and Bulgaria, and earlier in Serbia, Hungary and Austria, also have seen massive flooding.