The Romanian government said Monday that it will use EU support packages to help people affected by flash floods that have killed at least three people in the northeastern part of the country.
The aid consists of a sum of 3,000-6,000 euros per case, which will be granted after a loss assessment was made in the Hardhit counties of Neem and Sukava, Prime Minister Illy Borojang said on Monday.
Bucharest will also activate the EU Solidarity Fund. This will allow Romania to access hundreds of millions of euros to rebuild the area, but the money will only arrive in a few months, Boroyan said.
Sueava alone would cost around 78 million euros to rebuild the city of Brosteni and other affected areas, according to the county council.
The Romanian announcement was confirmed by Drago Pisral, Minister of Investment and Europe’s Projects. He wrote on Facebook that the measure would provide regional emergency assistance in Europe for the first time reconstruction (restoration) mechanism.
According to Pîslaru, the Restore, created for major natural disaster cases, allows for rapid allocation of millions of euros to affected areas from European funds.
At least three people were killed when a heavy storm struck Romania in late July, causing flash floods in the northeast.
Hundreds were forced to leave the house as rescuers were deployed to neamt and sueava. Local media reports say 680 homes were affected by flash floods, destroying 41 homes and a sewage network.
Residents trapped in their homes in the flood were rescued by firefighters and helicopters. Authorities reported that they have evacuated around 890 people in Niat City alone.
Last September, at least 24 people were killed by Boris after a wave of massive floods that struck Central Europe, causing widespread destruction in around five countries.
Romania’s northeastern Gala and Vaslui counties were affected by the floods.