2006 European floods: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Flood in Znojmo (2006) 3.jpg|thumb|The flood's effects in [[Znojmo]].]] |
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[[Image:Flood dresden april2006 004.jpg|thumb|The flood's effects in [[Dresden]].]] |
[[Image:Flood dresden april2006 004.jpg|thumb|The flood's effects in [[Dresden]].]] |
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==[[Southeastern Europe]]== |
==[[Southeastern Europe]]== |
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High [[Danube]] levels caused significant flooding in parts of [[Serbia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Romania]], with damage to property and infrastructure in localities near the shores of the river. The affect of high water across Southeastern Europe were blamed on the poor [[levee]] systems in the affected countries. |
High [[Danube]] levels caused significant flooding in parts of [[Serbia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Romania]], with damage to property and infrastructure in localities near the shores of the river. The affect of high water across Southeastern Europe were blamed on the poor [[levee]] systems in the affected countries. |
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===Bulgaria=== |
===Bulgaria=== |
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In [[Vidin]], Bulgaria, an industrial district was flooded. |
In [[Vidin]], Bulgaria, an industrial district was flooded. |
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Revision as of 01:23, 21 April 2006
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
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From February to April 2006 many rivers across Europe, especially the Elbe and Danube, swelled due to heavy rain and melting snow and rose to record levels. These are the longest rivers in Central Europe.
High Danube levels caused significant flooding in parts of Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, with damage to property and infrastructure in localities near the shores of the river. The affect of high water across Southeastern Europe were blamed on the poor levee systems in the affected countries.
Bulgaria
In Vidin, Bulgaria, an industrial district was flooded.
In Lom, Bulgaria 9 houses, a hotel, the port (which is the second biggest Bulgarian port on the River Danube), and the Danube Park were flooded. Boruna quarter in the north-western part of the city has declared a state of emergency. Of the 30.000 people who live in Lom, 6.000 people are in danger due to the flooding. The two schools are prepared to accommodate any people if found necessary.
Romania
Over 300 houses were reportedly flooded in Romania [1], and the Danube had not reached the level at the height of the flood since 1895[2]. Romanian officials ordered the controlled flooding of thousands of hectares of unused agricultural spaces to prevent further damage in cities across Romania. On April 16, in the localities of Rast and Negoi, Dolj County, more than 800 residents were evacuated, as a dam collapsed due to the rising waters of the Danube. Hundreds of houses were flooded and more than 100 of them collapsed. In the port city of Călăraşi, a recently-opened hotel was flooded on Monday, April 17, causing significant damage to the building and leading to the evacuation of tens of tourists[3].
Serbia
On April 16, 2006, a state of emergency was declared in 10 regions of Serbia.[2] The areas around Serbia's second largest city Novi Sad were particularly vulnerable[4]. A dozen cities were damaged and hundreds of people were evacuated. Near Veliko Gradište, the Danube reached heights as high as 9.65 meters (over 30ft). Many people left the regions because water could not be purified.
Other Countries
Floods were also reported in the Republic of Macedonia, where several villages were flooded in Macedonia's Pelagonija Valley.
The Elbe River also rose 13 centimeters higher than in 2002 in some areas, creating 150-year-record-highs. In Germany, the medieval town of Hitzacker had water levels of 7.63 meters, destroying many buildings and causing considerable damage to other private property. Also affected was the town of Lauenburg. The German federal state of Saxony and the Czech Republic were not as affected, because in the four years after the record floodings of 2002, the two partners built a stronger levee system along the Elbe. On April 17, all states of emergencies in all counties of the German federal states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg were rescinded.
The Danube river was at its peak 865 cm (28 ft 4 in) high in Budapest, higher than the previous record of 848 cm in 2002. During the floods, approximately 11,000 buildings were in danger of flood damage, 32,000 people were threatened by the water, and 172 hectares (475 acres) of land were actually under water. Officials also placed most of the area near the Danube under a Level 3 Alert (on a 3-level scale). The flood was so severe that it threatened to spill into the underground in Budapest, through the Batthyány tér station - this, however, did not occur. The underground train stations Batthyány tér and Margit híd (HÉV) were closed out of precaution.
The timing of the flood, incidentally, coincided with the Hungarian general elections.
Causes
Many dikes and levees breached because of a poor construction by local and national officials and of an unusual long and hard winter in Central Europe. The snowfall lasted well into April and many areas were frozen, so frost emerged, soaking the earth full of water.
Humanitarian aid
The Red Cross sent humanitarian aid in the form of blankets and mattresses to affected areas.
References
- ^ High Danube sparks Europe floods, BBC News
- ^ a b Balkans battle rising floodwaters, BBC News
- ^ The Danube brings havoc to all Romanian counties it crosses, Bucharest Daily News
- ^ Serbia braced for record floods, BBC News
See also
External links
