BRATISLAVA, August 16, (WEBNOVINY) — Prime Minister Iveta Radicova considered returning home due to Sunday flash floods which caused serious damages in the towns of Handlova and Prievidza in the region of Upper Nitra, area but Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic told her it was not necessary to return from her vacation in Croatia at the moment. It is not yet necessary to convene a Cabinet meeting, stated the Cabinet Office; the next scheduled session is this Wednesday and will specifically deal with removing the consequences of the floods, which returned to Slovakia this weekend after a few weeks of stable weather.
Radicova is ready to interrupt her holiday if further development will require her presence at home. The prime minister expressed regret over the lost of human life and sympathy for relatives of the fatality. She decided to allocate the remaining almost EUR 300,000 from the prime ministerial reserve towards the overhaul of the damaged infrastructure and assistance to victims.
Interior Minister Lipsic informed the prime minister that first estimate of damages to roads are at least EUR 133,000 after Sunday’s floods and it is expected that the sum will edge higher. In the regions stricken by torrential rains, recovery works are underway and soldiers and rescuers have been deployed, said Lipsic who also heads the committee for solving the consequences of floods in 2010. He said he will convene its session in the coming days.
The Cabinet will deal with post-flood situation at its regular session on Wednesday. Finance Minister Ivan Miklos is to submit a proposal to allocate EUR 11 million for rescue and relief works. The Cabinet will discuss further measures also at next week’s sitting.
A storm lasting several hours in the Upper Nitra area caused local floods, with the towns of Rajecke Teplice, Nitrianske Pravno, Handlova, Prievidza, and Ziar nad Hronom facing the most extensive damages. The flood claimed its first victim while at least one other person has been reported missing. The overflowing Handlovka River flooded roads to Handlova shortly after noon and the town had been without electricity for several hours. Prievidza has declared level three flood alert. The town was partially cut off from the rest of the world. Locals at Horna Nitra say this is the most extensive flooding ever. Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic and Defense Minister Lubomir Galko rushed to Handlova on Sunday afternoon. The army has sent seventy military engineers with their heavy machinery to the town who are helping clear local creeks and remove mud.
SITA