Romania in the grips of snow

Several people have died in Romania because of the cold and snow, while travel has been disrupted.

România Internațional, 05.01.2016, 13:40

Romania this week has been
confronted with the first snowfall of the winter season. Unlike previous years
however, it did not wreak havoc in terms of road, air, railway and maritime
traffic. Be that as it may, many people were killed due to the low temperatures
that in some areas dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists on
Sunday issued a code yellow alert against blizzards for the south and
southwest. In these areas, the fierce wind made temperatures in the low 20s
feel even colder.

Gradually, the cold snap got a grip
of the entire country, with snowfalls, glazed frost and violent gusts of wind
reported all across Romania. The freshly fallen snow was layered in drifts
lower than 10 cm. Road traffic currently unfolds in winter conditions, although
no roads have been blocked or closed down. Several rail segments are now
subject to speed restrictions and delays are to be expected, although no trains
have been cancelled. Air traffic is only slightly affected, with minor delays
reported for some flights. The activity on the Black Sea ports has been
temporarily put on hold due to the high winds.

Also in Bucharest, traffic is slow,
as many streets and main boulevards are covered in snow, while snowdrifts block
sidewalks. At the Tuesday meeting of the Winter Command, Bucharest interim
mayor Razvan Sava asked snow removal contractors to clear the access ways to
hospitals, medical emergency operators and other buildings of social interest.
Additionally, Razvan Sava said snowplows would be patrolling the streets,
including roads carrying less traffic.

Interior Minister Petre Toba said
that 6,700 police officers intervened at national level to limit the effects of
the snowfall, with over 3,300 vehicles, in order to prevent people from getting
snowed in their cars or exposed to other risks. Additionally, the authorities
have alerted the population, particularly car owners, as regards traffic on
public roads. Some 300 fines were given to drivers for failure to observe
winter traffic regulations, as well as to road administrators, for not clearing
the roads. 42 people left stranded were rescued and transferred to social
shelters.

After the first snow of the winter
season, the weather forecast for the next 10 days will bring a slight increase
in temperatures during the day.