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14 August 2002 By John Sparrow in Budapest and Galya Obukh in Moscow Across a devastated Europe, thousands of Red Cross workers and volunteers have been battling to maintain relief services and to shelter victims of surging floods and fierce storms. In Prague, gripped by its worst flood in more than a century, the authorities this morning ordered fresh evacuations and tens of thousands of people have now fled their homes, many of them cared for by the Czech Red Cross in evacuation centres set up around the city. The Vltava River had been expected to peak during the night but while it continues to rise at around 15 centimetres an hour, it was unclear this when it would crest. While much of Prague is under water, the defences of the old city held overnight. But, reported Tamara Klablenova, head of the international department of the Czech Red Cross, the threat remains. "People expect the worst will still come. We must wait for the flood wave to pass through the capital." The Red Cross is providing food, water, and personnel for the evacuation centres, and first-aid and psychological support teams are on hand. Water has surged towards the Czech capital from the south, where days of torrential rainfall set off the flooding last week, and left devastation in its wake. A calm weekend had seen river levels drop again but heavy rain returned to southern, western and central regions and a state of emergency was declared in central and southern Bohemia, and the Pilsen and Karlovy Vary regions, as well as Prague. While the Red Cross continues to respond in Germany, where Bavaria has a state of emergency, and Munich and Dresden are under water, and in Austria, where the threat of merging flood surges has prompted more evacuations, reports reveal an ever widening disaster in Central Europe. The Red Cross have mobilized in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Some 2,000 Red Cross rescue and relief workers have been deployed by the Austrian Red Cross over the past days, as ongoing rain has continued in almost all of Austria's provinces, bringing increasing problems particularly to the Salzburg, Styria, Upper and Lower Austria regions. Villages have been flooded, homes and bridges washed away, railway tracks submerged, and property destroyed. The Austrian Red Cross has been working closely with other emergency organizations, fire brigades and the army, and across the country volunteers have been on alert to respond as necessary. The Red Cross priorities are to keep ambulance and rescue services running in the worst affected areas, and to provide support and shelter to evacuees. Yesterday the focus of concern in Upper Austria was near Linz in the Schwertberg region where the river Aist, normally no more than a gentle stream, has breached defences and flooded inhabited areas. An alert has been sounded along the Aist because a dam wall in the nearby Waldviertel region could burst and swell the river further. In Lower Austria, there were fears for the population living near the confluence of the rising Kamp and Danube rivers, and the evacuation of the most threatened began. The Danube, meanwhile, has burst its banks in Vienna. In Romania, floods have swept 24 counties, and the country faces an ever more serious situation from Transylvania in the west to the Black Sea coast, across from the enduring crisis in southern Russia. Some 15,000 Romanians are reportedly affected, mainly in rural areas, and 5,000 hectares of cultivated land inundated. Roads, railways, water and electricity supplies have been damaged. Romanian Red Cross President, Professor Nicolae Nicoara, said this morning, "Tragically, most of the people affected have lost their livelihoods, their means of existence. This is a tragedy that will not end with the retreat of the flood waters. When the emergency passes we will have to assess how we can help people further in the difficult time immediately ahead." Red Cross branches are providing food, clothing and other relief from their emergency stocks, and alerts are arriving at Bucharest headquarters that some stocks are already running low. The situation has been worsened by powerful storms that ravaged five counties Monday night, and meteorologists have forecast that more storms are on the way. Heavy rains and floods have not spared Bulgaria or Slovakia, either. In some districts of Bulgaria the entire year's harvests have been lost, and having distributed family packages and clothing the Bulgarian Red Cross is standing by to respond further. The Slovak Red Cross reports 30,000 people left without shelter and in great need in central Slovakia. It is cooperating closely with the country's Central Flood Committee and Civil Defence, and is cleaning and disinfecting damaged property. Meanwhile in Hungary, the Red Cross has been distributing hygiene parcels to the victims of localized flooding in north-eastern Borsod county. They were forced to evacuate their homes after a stream surged and burst its banks. With heavy rains continuing to fall across Hungary, and more forecast, worse may come and the Hungarian Red Cross is standing by. The Polish Red Cross is also on full alert in western Poland. "This is a region-wide disaster with immense consequences that will preoccupy us for a considerable time to come," commented Pentti Kotoaro, International Federation head of delegation for Central Europe. In Krasnodar Krai – a resort area on the shores of the Black Sea in the south of Russia, the people believed the worst had passed. Just as the population was recovering from recent floods that killed 36 people and affected 62 towns and villages, they are once again reeling from torrential rains that have caused widespread landslides, flooding and tidal waves in the last days. And more heavy rain is expected this week, increasing the likelihood of further flooding. On 8 August tidal waves over two metres high lashed Novorossiisk and Krymsk killing at least 58 people and inundating 15 nearby settlements. The numbers of those missing currently exceeds 300. Rescuers are most concerned about holiday makers who had been camping in tents on the seashore and who were not registered in any establishment, making it very hard to ascertain the number of people dead or missing. Rapid flows of muddy water have washed away entire streets of trees, houses and cars. According to estimates so far, the flooded area has affected about 30,000 people. More than 1,000 are now homeless and thousands more have lost all their possessions. Approximately 2,000 people were evacuated, and more are pouring in to temporary tent settlements as their clay houses dissolve in the water. Over 800 kilometres of rail and 5.5 kilometres of roadway were inundated; 20 bridges were heavily damaged; transport and communications with Novorossiisk were cut for four days. "We mobilized Red Cross regional staff and volunteers in the first hours after the disaster," said Evgeny Steshenko, Russian Red Cross executive director in Krasnodar Krai. "Our Novorossiisk chairwoman rushed into the streets and provided medical assistance to flood victims along with Red Cross nurses." The Russian Red Cross in the affected regions have distributed food packages to 1,300 flood victims and clothing to 1,500, received following an appeal to the Russian people. The Red Cross is also offering medical and psychological support to victims. In addition, from 9-11 August, the Russian Red Cross conducted an assessment mission in the flooded areas. Preliminary findings indicate the need for food, clothing, bed linen, stoves, heaters, medicine and hygiene items, mattresses, and tents for 15,000 people. "The elements raged for just 15-20 minutes, and we are still reeling from the extent of the damage," says Steshenko. "I have just come back from Krymsk. Water is still flowing down the streets with rubbish, piles of clothes and people's belongings everywhere. The asphalt has opened up and everyone is shocked." On 8 August, in response to earlier floods, the Russian Red Cross with the assistance of the Swedish Red Cross dispatched a truck of relief items to the region. Now, this shipment, containing two tonnes of food and 12 tonnes of clothing will be used, in part, to support the victims of the latest floods. In July, the International Federation launched an appeal on behalf of the Russian Red Cross for 1.3 million Swiss francs to assist 20,000 people affected by the worst floods in 70 years. Related Links: Make an Online Donation 04 July 2002 - Floods in southern Russia are a national disaster 23 July 2002 - Russian floods - preparing for rehabilitation |
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