site.btaSituation after Floodings Gradually Getting Back to Normal

Situation after Floodings
Gradually Getting Back to
Normal

Sofia, December 7 (BTA) - The situation in the wake of the fresh
 floodings in Southern Bulgaria is gradually getting back to
normal, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. A national
emergency centre is working in Gulubovo, near Stara Zagora - one
 of the worst-hist areas, chaired by Interior Minister Vesselin
Vouchkov.  

A red alert remained in place for possible flooding along the
Toundja River near Elhovo, the Environment Ministry said.
Special attention should be given to the river at both Elhovo
and Yambol, where a new tidal wave is expected as the water
flows down towards the rivermouth and additional amounts of
water are released from the Zhrebchevo and Ticha Dams. The
situation is similar with the Kamchia River, Environment
Minister Ivelina Vassileva said, quoted by her Ministry.

Special attention should also be paid to the Maritsa River and
its tributaries mid- and down-stream.

Twelve population centres are still without power in the Vidin
Region, Northwestern Bulgaria.

Interior Ministry officers on Saturday continued their efforts
to mitigate the effects of rain-induced floods as weather
forecasters predicted that heavy rain will continue in Bulgaria.
 Firefighters and rescuers carried out more than 100 emergency
rescue activities. The situation remained complicated in the
southern regions of Yambol, Sliven, Stara Zagora and Haskovo and
 the northern region of Vidin.

Interior Minister Vesselin Vouchkov, Transport Minister Ivaylo
Moskovski and Environment Minister Ivelina Vassileva visited
some of the worst hit areas. All competent crews were
contributing to the effort. A national emergency centre was
handling the critical situation in the southern municipalities
of Elhovo and Gulubovo, Vassileva said, speaking to BTA.

Twenty-six communities in Vidin Region, by the Danube River, had
 been left without electricity due to power line icing and power
 transformer failures. The local electricity operator sent 144
workers to repair the damages. Another 17 localities in Vidin
Region had their power supply restored by Saturday morning.
Twelve population centres have no running water as pump stations
 went out of order.

Experts are watching the water level in rivers in the seaside
Varna Region. The Kamchia River level was falling. Controlled
draining of dams and other water bodies in the region continued.

In Stara Zagora Region, the water level in all dams was being
lowered in a controlled manner through floodgates. A state of
disaster was declared in the municipalities of Radnevo and
Gulubovo.

A protective dyke broke on the Roussenski Lom River in the
northern Rousse Region. A technical crew was sent to the spot.
The river flooded 15 hectares of land, but the population was
out of danger.

Expert teams continued to watch the water level of the Toundja
River in the southeastern Yambol Region. Firefighters and
rescuers were draining flood areas in Elhovo in the same region.

Nahide Deniz told BTA from Istanbul that the rain in Bulgaria
has swollen the rivers Maritsa and Toundja near the Turkish city
 of Edirne. The water level there continued to rise for the
second consecutive day. SN/VE, ZH

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