Extreme weather in Romania

Romania got another episode of extreme weather

Ştefan Stoica, 03.07.2024, 14:00

With the exception of Constanta and Tulcea, the two counties on the Black Sea coast, extreme weather wreaked havoc on the entire Romanian territory for the past two days. This has not been the first summer episode of extreme weather when periods of extremely hot weather and thermal discomfort are alternating with heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms and it won’t be the last though. Recently issued red and yellow alerts have been followed by the flood alerts issued by the hydrologists.

According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, thunderstorms have affected 40 towns and villages in 19 counties across Romania. Firefighters have intervened to pump water out of tens of households, basements and streets. A fallen fir-tree has disrupted road traffic on DN 1, the busiest road in Romania and southern Europe.

Firefighters also had to remove debris consisting of broken roof, dozens of fallen trees and electricity posts that blocked various roads and caused damage to 10 vehicles.

Rail traffic has been temporarily disrupted on a railway segment in north-eastern Romania. According to sources with the local rail company known as CFR Travelers, 13 trains were affected by the hot weather and thunderstorms that followed on Tuesday. The capital city Bucharest and its surroundings, known as Ilfov, have also been affected by the extreme weather and firefighters had to intervene in many situations. Gale-force winds have broken trees and electricity posts and firefighters had to put out the fires caused by them.  Two people have been hit by the broken branches and roughly 40 vehicles destroyed. Electricity supplies have been disrupted in the county of Prahova, southern Romania.

15 trees have been broken and seven roofs destroyed in Maramures, north-western Romania. Rescue teams gave the first aid to a man wounded by a tarpaulin broken by the gale force wind also in Maramures, where a man was declared dead after being struck by lightning.

Authorities have given assurances the situation will be closely monitored by the National Operational Center with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations with a view to taking the right and most effective measures to do away with the effects of the extreme weather.

(bill)