Posted on 08/25/2005 3:50:35 AM PDT by Our_Man_In_Gough_Island
Rescue operations are continuing across Europe to help thousands of civilians affected by devastating floods which have killed 36 people. In the Swiss capital, Bern, helicopters were used to pluck people from rooftops as rising water and strong currents hampered evacuations.
Worst affected is Romania, where seven elderly people were killed on Wednesday bringing deaths there to 25.
The rain has eased in some parts, but forecasters warn there is more ahead.
Click here for map showing flood-hit countries At least 11 people are reported dead or missing in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, where the authorities are struggling to restore basic services.
Thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes in recent days and move to higher ground. Many are still unable to return.
The elderly Romanians were swept away by swollen rivers , AFP news agency reported.
Floods inundated about 1,400 houses in central parts of the country.
Elsewhere in Europe:
In Bavaria, some flood defences have collapsed, allowing water to flood through streets and into homes; authorities evacuated patients at the city of Neu-Ulm after the Danube burst its banks
In Bulgaria, where floods have killed at least 20 people and left 14,000 homeless over the past three months, torrential rains flooded the north-western region of Montana
In Moldova torrential rain has damaged homes and other property near the capital Chisinau
Torrential rain in Slovenia has washed out roads in several towns in central and eastern districts. Croatia has declared a state of emergency along the Mura river, on the border with Slovenia, where it is shoring up flood defences.
Helicopter rescue
At least four people have died and two are missing in Switzerland, where floods have affected an area stretching from the Bernese Alps to St Gallen in the north-east.
Many Alpine valleys in Bavaria and Austria have also been under water.
Reader's before and after images of a swollen river, Switzerland
More than 1,000 Swiss have been evacuated, along with hundreds more in Austria and Germany.
In Bern, the River Aare burst its banks flooding parts of the historic old town.
The authorities used helicopters to rescue people from roofs and balconies as rising waters and strong currents made the use of boats risky.
Parts of the resorts of Lucerne and Interlaken were also flooded. Many popular mountain holiday villages have been completely cut off.
Mudslides have blocked roads and railway tracks.
And the forecast was not good. "It will get worse before it gets better," police spokesman Franz Maerki said.
Shock
In Austria, floods caused chaos in the west of the country, leaving three people dead and one missing.
But rain stopped overnight and an interior ministry spokesman said the worst was over.
About 17,000 firefighters helped by soldiers are involved in the rescue and repair work.
Lechtal Valley in Tirol and the Kleinwalsertal Valley in Vorarlberg have been particularly badly affected.
Water rose up to five metres (16ft) outside the house of Ernst Cavegn.
"I grew up in this house. My parents built it when I was three years old, and now everything is destroyed," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.
"My wife is in shock. She won't say a word."
I believe you missed one of the top lines which read: Worst affected is Romania, where seven elderly people were killed on Wednesday bringing deaths there to 25. These people are our good allies, they supported US during the UN resolution for Iraq and they have troops fighting next to ours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. They were also the first nation to vote for offering US soldiers safe heaven from military prosecution from other foreign governments.
That is a particularly nasty thing to say.
Those are fellow human beings who are suffing, dying and losing everything.
Just because the politics of many leaders are foul, doesn't justify such hard heartedness towards others' sufferings.
Well, in partial excusing, Mr. Boucher seems to be in Florida, where they are gearing up for a hurricane and flooding. Perhaps his mind was on his own problems, and let us also remember to pray for those in Florida as well.
Those are kind words.
Suffering knows no boundaries.
Neither does prayer.
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