25 Victims and Multiple Flood Damages in Romania Where Red Code was Extended
|
|
4 July 2010 | posted by: Daniel Wright | 2 Comments
Flood damages The death toll from a week of severe flooding in Romania rose to 23, while 2 were fatally struck by lightning. The flood damages continue to grow while the Danube rose to a record level in the eastern city of Galati at 21.94 feet (6.69 meters) and in the southern town of Fetesti, reaching 23.75 feet (7.24 meters), according to officials. Over the past 10 days more than 7,000 people have been evacuated from hundreds of villages, officials said. However, worst hit so far was the region along Siret River in northern and eastern Romania, according to Interior Minister Vasile Blaga, prompting authorities to start stacking half a million sand bags along the embankments of the Siret. The Red Code alert of floods was extended by the hydrology experts until Monday for eastern Romania. Road and rail traffic is disrupted in some areas. Romanian President Traian Basescu has been visiting some of the affected areas and the Romanian Government were requesting aid from the European Union’s Solidarity Fund to help repair flood damaged houses and roads. The economy of Europe’s second-poorest country might loose more than 0.6 per cent of gross domestic product after this flooding. Image Credit: |
The red code was extended until Monday afternoon. France, Estonia, Belgium and Austria offered their assistance to Romania.
Romania has only managed to access about 7% of the billions of Euro in structural funds granted to it by the EU. The common belief here by Romanians is that if the officials can’t steal any of it, they will rather not spend it at all. Structural funds are almost impossible to access, no matter how good and needed the project is. Layers of “consultants” and other hurdles are placed in the way. As the 2nd most corrupt country in the EU, where nothing, and I mean nothing gets done without an “informal payment”, it’s not surprising. It’s a pity because all those billions will be lost if not uses on infrastructure and other projects. A few kilometres of well constructed dyes and a flood pattern analysis would have gone a long way. Thing is, the money, if used would bring in extra taxes and business into the regions and end up enriching the politicians anyway. They are just too lazy to wait for it. May as well take it on the way in rather than wait for it to exit the system. Meanwhile Romania sins lower into the proverbial and physical mire. At some point, the EU will have to give up and throw the rescue rope into the mud after the victim.
Leave your response!
Links
Categories
Archive
Calendar
Blogroll