State aid for people affected by floods
Extreme weather ravaged western Romania.
Corina Cristea, 19.07.2021, 02:00
The extreme weather reported in Romania in the last couple of days caused significant damage in 13 localities in the west, in the area of the Apuseni Mountains, damaging more than one hundred households. The Ocolis, Rosia Montana, Campeni and Abrud villages were the worst hit. Fortunately, no victims have been reported. PM Florin Citu, accompanied by the interior minister, visited the area to assess the damages and promised the people affected they would receive rescue funds from the government as soon as possible.
Florin Citu: “It is a miracle there have not been any victims in the area, given what happened — over 250 liters of water on square meter. The hard part follows, on the short term, to rebuild what has been destroyed. We will start with people’s households. We will make available all resources to improve things as soon as possible. Over a month ago we created the legal framework that allows us to disburse funds without holding a government meeting first, which means that, after a damage report is drawn up, people will start getting financial and material support.”
We stand by people during hard times, interior minister Lucian Bode said in his turn. He gave assurances that the Government can allocate funds for the people affected and start rebuilding roads and securing water supplies.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the coming period is not good, at least until the middle of the week. Until Wednesday, storms are expected across the whole country, heavy rain of 50 to 60 liters per square meter as well as hail. The situation is even more serious in Western Europe, where rescue teams are trying to find survivors of the deadly floods that wreaked havoc in Germany and the Benelux countries. Hundreds of people are dead or missing, and thousands others have been left without a home. Tens of thousands of households are without electricity. In Germany, the country worst hit by the flooding, Chancellor Angela Merkel promised that the federal government will offer the financial aid needed for reconstruction and will intensify efforts to combat the effects of climate change. The EU has also announced financial aid for Germany and other countries affected by the bad weather such as Belgium or the Netherlands. (EE)
