ZAGREB, May 18 (NNN-XINHUA) – Heavy rainfall from last Friday has caused widespread floods in Croatia, triggering the declaration of a state of emergency in the country’s central and south-eastern areas of Karlovac and Kostajnica. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall has also triggered flood warnings or caused flooding and damages across Central Europe.
Heavy rainfall led to a sharp rise of the water levels of the Kupa River and Korana River, in the Karlovac area, where a state of emergency was declared. The situation is likewise critical in the area of Kostajnica, a small town on the Croatian-Bosnian border, where heavy rain caused the River Una to overflow its banks.
Temporary flood barriers and sandbags have been installed along various rivers, including the Kupa River in Karlovac and the Una River in Kostajnica, in efforts to control the rising waters, reaching their peak levels yesterday, according to local media reports.
“What affects us are the heavy downpours. All forces are on the ground. They worked all night, and the pumps did not stop,” Dalibor Bisca, mayor of Kostajnica, told the local radio station.
Meanwhile, the situation in Varazdin County in northern Croatia is also at risk, as houses and roads are flooded, and some roads are closed due to the floods. In the Zadar area in western Croatia, heavy rain caused a record-high water level of the River Zrmanja on Monday, flooding towns and villages.
According to Croatia’s State Hydrometeorological Institute, a total of 256.4 mm of rain fell per square metre on Monday, in Gracac in Zadar County, the highest since records began in 1960.
In face of heavy damages of flooded fields, homes and closed roads, Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, promised, the government would provide all necessary funding and aid to the flood-devastated areas.
“We must be prepared for heavy floods, urban floods. Everyone will have to contribute,” Davor Bozinovic, Croatian minister of the interior told reporters, as he visited the flooded parts of northern Croatia yesterday.
There have been no reports of human casualties, so far, in floods in Croatia.– NNN-XINHUA
