OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Romania - Floods
9 March 2001


Exceptional rain caused severe floods in the river basin region common to
Romania, Ukraine and Hungary.  OCHA is monitoring the situation in close
cooperation with national authorities and UN field offices.

The United Nations Coordinator in Bucharest provided OCHA with the
following updated report on the situation :


General Situation

1.  There were heavy snowfalls and rains in NW Romania (from 100 to 200
l/m2)  during the period 3-6 March. Starting 4 March, the temperature rose
to 15 degrees Celsius, causing snow and ice to melt. As a result the
rivers in NW Romania rose above the critical level, with the worst being
the Tisza River, which rose from 60 m3/s to 3560 m3/s.

2.  Eleven counties were affected by the floods:  Maramures, Bihor,
Bistrita-Nasaud, Suceava, Satu Mare, Harghita, Cluj, Salaj, Hunedoara,
Alba and Botosani.

3. The following settlements/ infrastructures were affected:
-  172 villages and towns
-  3,616 houses
-  57.8 km dams
-  340 small bridges and footbridges
-  213.84 km national, local and village roads
-  147 km forest roads
-  6 km of electric distribution lines
-  0.5 km of railways
-  1 km of water supply system
-  31 constructions (dams and levees)
-  12,431 hectares of agriculture land
-  3,723 persons evacuated
-  a damaged water supply station in Sighet town.


4.  The value of the damages estimated so far is 637 billion lei (26.6 M
USD).  There are no casualties. The rivers are now back to normal levels,
the situation is under control and there are no floods expected in the
near future.


Government Response

5.  The Government granted 7 billion lei (260,000 USD) in humanitarian aid
for the nearly 4,000 people evacuated, in the form of food, emergency
medical supplies, tents, blankets and clothes.

6.  The Government will provide construction materials to repair houses
(amount of funding is not yet specified).

7.  In all regions affected, the local authorities and national relevant
institutions were on alert starting 27 February 2001. These include: the
Central Commission against Floods, the Governmental Commission against
Disasters, the Waters Directorate in the Ministry of Waters and
Environment Protection, the National Waters Authority, the Civil
Protection, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of National Defense.

8. Following are the measures taken up to the present:

- The mining authorities took preventive measures and, at the Baia Borsa
Mine, the trunks blocking the water channels were cleared.

- In order to prevent accidents, intervention teams blasted ice blockages
(natural dams resulted from the sliding ice)

- Local Commissions for Disasters, together with units of the Ministry of
Interior and Ministry of National Defense, evacuated the population at
risk and provided shelters, food supplies and medical assistance.

- The Ministry of Transportation and Construction cleared the roads
blocked.

- The Army and Fire Brigades provided potable water in the areas where it
was not available.

- Fire Brigades cleared basement water from houses.

- A permanent medical control has been established in order to prevent
epidemics.

- Companies and institutions that have construction equipment have been
called for support.


9.  At present the focus is on monitoring the situation, evaluating losses
and repairing damaged dams, bridges and roads affected by the floods.



International Assistance

10.  Following the floods in 1999 UNDP, in consultation with the UN
Disaster Management Team, donated trailers for temporary accommodation,
thus improving the country's response capacity to recurrent emergencies.
The 17 mobile units are currently at the disposal of the Civil Protection.

11.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA Internet Website at:
http://www.reliefweb.int.


Telephone:  +41-22-917 1234
Fax:  +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers Disaster Response Branch (OCHA):
   Mr Sergio Piazzi and Mr Dusan Zupka 
   Tel: +41 - 22 - 9173518 and Tel: +41 -22 9171645

Press contact:  Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53

Internet Website at http:/www.reliefweb.int


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