HUNGARY: AUTHORITIES KEEP WATCHFUL EYE ON WATERS OF RIVER DANUBE AS FLOODS APPROACH

Record ID: 646814

  • Title: HUNGARY: AUTHORITIES KEEP WATCHFUL EYE ON WATERS OF RIVER DANUBE AS FLOODS APPROACH
  • Date: 17th August 2002
  • Summary: (U4) BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (AUGUST 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT IN FRONT OF SWOLLEN DANUBE RIVER; SLV ROAD SIGNS AND LOWER EMBANKMENT IN WATER; SLV FLOODED DANUBE AND BUILDING (2 SHOTS) 0.11 2. SLV PEOPLE BUILDING SANDBAG WALLS IN FRONT OF BUILDING; SCU SANDBAG WITH SPADE; MV SANDBAGS AND BUILDINGS (7 SHOTS) 1.02 3. SLV HOUSES IN WATER IN NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF BUDAPEST 1.08 SLV STREET UNDER WATER, MAN AND DOG IN FLOODED STREET; SLV MAN CARRYING YOUNG BOY THROUGH FLOODED STREET IN NORTHERN BUDAPEST; SLV FIRE BRIGADE COMMANDER WALKING (5 SHOTS) 1.44 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) ISTVAN LEIDINGER, NORTHERN BUDAPEST DISTRICT FIRE BRIGADE COMMANDER "The Danube is at the moment rising by five centimetres per hour. We expect it to peak on Saturday and Sunday. Today is not too dangerous yet." 1.58 5. LV HOUSES STEEPED IN WATER 2.03 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) ISTVAN LEIDINGER, FIRE BRIGADE COMMANDER FOR NORTHERN BUDAPEST DISTRICT SAYING "Quite a lot of people have left this area already but about a hundred decided to stay. We keep an eye on their safety and if necessary we will take them out. 2.21 NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (AUGUST 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 7. SLV PEOPLE PACKING TO LEAVE THE AREA 2.28 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 1st September 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BUDAPEST AND NEAR BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
  • Country: Hungary
  • Reuters ID: LVA8BBUPO4MGXYVS4E58Z7XPS19T
  • Story Text: As people begin to flock to the Hungarian capital for
    Sunday's Formula One Grand Prix thousands of residents are
    asking themselves if they should leave as flooding on Europe's
    main waterway moves southwards and is expected to reach
    Budapest at the weekend.

    Hungarian authorities are keeping a watchful eye on the
    rising waters of the River Danube on Friday (August 16, 2002)
    whilst fire brigades reinforce flood barriers along the Danube
    river.

    The National Water Authority says levels are expected to
    peak this weekend but that they are unlikely to crest river
    defences designed to protect the capital Budapest from floods.

    As much of central Europe suffers its worst flooding in a
    century, with some parts seeing the water level now recede,
    the expected deluge in Budapest is believed to peak this
    coming weekend at 8.4 metres.

    The city's defences have been built up to 10 metres and officials
    hope the capital will be spared the level of flooding which has
    hit other central European cities this week.

    "The Danube is at the moment rising by five centimetres
    per hour. We expect it to peak on Saturday and Sunday. Today
    is not too dangerous yet," said Istvan Leidinger, the
    commander of the Northern Budapest district fire brigade
    Hilly Buda, with its Habsburg castle and monuments, and
    flat urban Pest are separated by the Danube, Europe's main
    waterway, which snakes through the centre of the city and
    thrusts south through the Balkans to the Black Sea.

    Roads on the embankment are now closed and some 750 people
    have been evacuated from houses built in the flooding area of
    the Danube.

    "Quite a lot of people have left this area already, but
    about a hundred decided to stay. We keep an eye on their
    safety and if necessary we will take them out," said
    Leidinger.

    The water authority said they expected the river to rise
    to record-high levels at the village of Nagybajcs in the
    northwest on Friday night or Saturday morning with the water
    rising to around 8.5 metres.

    This exceeds the highest level measured there so far in
    1954, when the river rose to 7.84 metres. Then some dykes
    burst and the Danube flooded a large part of the north-western Szigetkoz region.

    At the moment there are 360 army troops working on the
    dykes, plus an additional 2,000 flood workers.

    The official said about 1,000 people will probably have to
    be evacuated on the upper stretch of the Danube from low-lying
    areas.

    Authorities said earlier the flooding would likely affect
    traffic on a section of the main Budapest-Vienna rail route at
    the city of Komarom, where one track will be closed and trains
    will run at reduced speed.

    The Formla One Grand Prix is expected to take place in
    Budapest on Sunday.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register