In Romania’s Galați County, six have died and two are missing.
From Saturday, hundreds have lost their homes to floods in several counties. The red warning for floods will continue today, Monday, in multiple regions of Romania.
The government has organized rescue missions, camps, and medical aid. Nearly 300 people have been rescued from the house they were trapped inside.
Galați and Vaslui counties, generally poor regions, were hit particularly badly, registering three months’ worth of rainfall in 12 hours.
“I have nothing left”, said a villager.
“This is a catastrophe of epic proportions”, said a local mayor.
Some 25,000 homes in areas not directly hit by the floods were left without electricity. The situation was brought back to normal gradually, but quickly.
Some houses had to be temporarily left without electricity in order to avoid short circuit risk.
School has been suspended as a result.
“We must continue strengthening our ability to anticipate extreme weather events, alert the population, and respond effectively to these phenomena, which are being amplified by climate change,” declared Klaus Iohannis. “We are once again facing the effects of climate change, which are becoming increasingly frequent across the European continent, with dramatic consequences for people. I offer my condolences to the grieving families who have lost loved ones and a message of solidarity with all those affected by this calamity”.
Flooding blocked several roads and train routes from Romania to Austria, which has also seen dramatic flooding and has declared itself in a disaster crisis “of an unprecedented extreme situation”. A firefighter has died there.
Vienna has shut down five metro lines.
At the same time, temperatures have fallen dramatically, after a peaceful and warm summer, with the Tyrol region already becoming rapidly covered in snow.
In fact, all of Central and Eastern Europe has been affected: the Czech Republic, where four people are missing, Poland, where one person has passed away, and Slovakia.
