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Floods in Romania eliminate a minimum of 4 individuals as rain batters central Europe

At least 4 individuals passed away and thousands of homes were harmed by flooding in eastern Romania on Saturday, officials stated, as rising river levels put authorities on alert in much of central and eastern Europe following days of downpour.

More rainfall is forecast in the coming days in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, southern Germany and parts of Austria, leading officials in some high-risk locations to implement emergency flood preparations.

Citizens of some towns along the Czech-Polish border were left as rivers rose past alert levels while the Czech capital, Prague, which suffered disastrous floods in 2002, put preventative anti-flood measures in place.

In Romania, flooding affected 8 counties, the nation's. emergency situation action unit said, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. was because of check out hard-hit Galati county, where the four individuals. were discovered dead and about 5,000 homes were harmed.

The Environment Ministry's water management agency stated. rains of more than 150 litres per square metre had actually fallen in. the location in less than 24 hr.

Television images from the location showed streets flooded with. muddy water, silt and particles as rescuers led locals to. security. Authorities deployed a Black Hawk helicopter to aid the. search and rescue operation.

EVACUATIONS, RAIL INTERRUPTION

In the Czech Republic, northern and northeastern parts of. the country were bearing the impact of the deluge, with some. places tape-recording as much as 250 mm (9.8 inches) of rain considering that. Thursday, the weather condition institute said.

Forecasters alerted that some locations might see more than a. 3rd of average yearly rainfall by Sunday, with strong winds. further complicating the situation.

Environment Minister Petr Hladik said on Saturday individuals in. the worst-hit areas should prepare to leave their homes.

In Prague, a city of more than 1.3 million individuals that sits. on the banks of the Vltava river spanned by the attractive 14th. century Charles Bridge, flood barriers were put in place.

The city heavily invested into preventive steps after the. 2002 floods, which swept into the subway system and forced 10s. of countless individuals to be evacuated from their homes.

Prague Zoo, which lies along the Vltava, was closed to. visitors and Czech Railways stated services on lots of paths. was interrupted. In the country's second-biggest city, Brno, a. health center evacuated patients as a preventative measure.

In Glucholazy, a historic town in southwestern Poland near. the Czech border, firemens stacked numerous sandbags. alongside a swollen river and some locals were evacuated from. their homes.

Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said weather. forecasts looked unfavourable, with as much as 100-150 litres of. rainfall per square metre projected to fall around the. Czech-Polish border during the next 24 hours, feeding rivers. into Poland.

Authorities in neighbouring Slovakia alerted of the risk of. possible flooding in the capital, Bratislava, from the swollen. Danube river.

Hungary expects the Danube to near record-high levels in the. coming days, and officials will close lower-lying quays in the. capital, Budapest, on Monday.

The wave of flooding is expected to peak around 8 metres.

(source: Reuters)