Evros floods evict villagers
The northern prefecture of Evros remained in a state of emergency yesterday after heavy rainfall led to the Evros River breaking its banks and flooding several houses, obliging villagers to abandon their homes. According to prefectural officials, more than 12,000 hectares of land, including 5,000 hectares of farmland, have been submerged over the past two days. In the village of Lavara, 20 people were forced to evacuate their homes and stay with relatives or in hotels. Evros Prefect Nikos Zambounidis said the flooding was «unprecedented,» noting that regional railway and road travel had been badly disrupted. Today local officials and representatives of emergency services are to meet for crisis talks. The problems began last week, when heavy rainfall led to the water level of the Evros River rising above the emergency level. Melting snow and torrential rain in bordering Bulgaria made matters worse.
