Romania Issues Red Flood Alert As Heavy Rains Isolate Villages

BUCHAREST, Feb 6 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Romania's National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management issued a red flood alert on Friday for the Niscov River in the southeastern counties of Prahova and Buzau, warning of dangerous rises in water levels following heavy rainfall, reported Xinhua.

The alert is valid until 3 pm local time (1300 GMT) and signals possible exceedance of danger thresholds.

Authorities also placed an orange alert until 12 pm local time (1000 GMT) on the river in Prahova county and on rivers in east-central Vrancea county, with a yellow alert covering parts of the Barlad river basin in eastern Romania.

Emergency alerts were sent to residents in at-risk communities. In Prahova, firefighters responded to several calls to pump water from flooded yards, with no homes reported damaged.

In Buzau county, rising water on the Niscov River blocked road access to a village, leaving 12 people isolated in four households. Local emergency officials said the residents were safe and had sufficient supplies.

Romania's hydrological authorities classify flood warnings into three levels — yellow, orange and red — from potential flooding risk to extreme danger. 

— BERNAMA-XINHUA