Radio România Internațional

Tag: rainfall

  • September 1, 2024

    September 1, 2024

    VISIT   The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, urged the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to choose to stay on their path towards EU integration in this autumn’s referendum. While on an official visit to Chişinău, Iohannis said Romania’s strategic commitment to supporting the democratic development of Moldova would remain unwavering in the long run, and called on all international partners to provide consistent support to Moldova’s EU accession efforts. In turn, the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu thanked Romania for its support in the initiation of EU accession negotiations, in fighting the COVID pandemic and in mitigating the electricity shortages caused by the Russian bombings in Ukraine. She said Romania played a vital part in consolidating her country’s energy independence. The two officials signed a Joint Declaration on bilateral cooperation to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of Moldova. The Romanian president’s visit to Chişinău took place as Romania and Moldova celebrated the Romanian Language Day on August 31.

     

    PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania resumes its sessions tomorrow, after the summer recess. Its agenda includes a bill raising the pension tax threshold from EUR 400 at present to EUR 600. The ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party decided a few days ago that the new bill should be rushed through Parliament, so that it may take effect on October 1, explained the culture minister Raluca Turcan, a former labour minister. As of this month, the reviewed pension benefits are being paid to beneficiaries. Of the 4.7 million pensioners in Romania, 3.8 million will receive higher benefits, and the remaining 900,000 will be paid the same amounts as they have so far. Although decisions were issued under which certain pensioners’ benefits were cut down, this is only valid on paper, with the Labour Ministry and National Pensions Agency to send notifications in this respect to all the beneficiaries in this situation.

     

    TOURISM The Romanian minister of economy, entrepreneurship and tourism, Radu Oprea, believes the national tourism industry has extremely high potential, but warns that success cannot be achieved without a well-thought plan. While in the resort of Neptun, on the Romanian Black Sea coast, he said a true public-private partnership is needed, and added that a tourism development strategy is currently reviewed by relevant ministries. Oprea voiced his dissatisfaction with the local authorities in the seaside area, which ruined the resort concept by approving the construction of apartment buildings next to hotels. Such urbanisation, the official said, threatens to destroy the charm of seaside resorts and implicitly their financial success.

     

    FLOODS The heavy rainfalls in the past few days caused damage in the south-east of Romania. The most affected region is the Black Sea coast, where precipitations reached 200 litres per square metre, the equivalent of 6 months’ worth of rain. A heavy rainfall alert is still in place in the region. Agigea, Tuzla, Venus, Saturn, Mangalia and Vama Veche are among the most affected resorts. In certain parts of the town of Mangalia, waters reached car windows, while in Vama Veche the floods tore the beach in two, overturned vehicles and destroyed outdoor restaurants. A total of 17 hotels and guest houses were flooded. Fire fighters with the Dobrogea Emergency Inspectorate received 800 calls for help, and rescued 61 people in 24 hours.

     

    INSURANCE Four out of 5 households in Romania are vulnerable to natural disasters, fire or explosion, according to data released by the National Insurers Union. Only 17% of the homes in Romania are protected by an optional insurance policy. Only 3 regions are above the national average—Bucharest-Ilfov, 29%, the west of the country, with 20%, and the centre of the country, 18%.

     

    SCHOOLS The number of schools in Romania to use electronic class registers in the school year beginning on September 9 is 63% higher than last year. According to the education ministry, nearly 1,900 schools will use electronic registration, 733 more than in 2023. As many as 167 of them are in Bucharest. Under the law, they use private software or platforms, and cannot request students or their families to pay for these services. All electronic registers will have authentication options for teachers, students and parents. (AMP)

  • July 18, 2021 UPDATE

    July 18, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The number of coronavirus infections in Romania remains low, with 44 new cases reported on Sunday out of 18,800 tests conducted in 24 hours. One new COVID-related death was also reported, and 30 patients are in intensive care. In related news, the European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides, who was recently on a visit to Romania, urged the authorities to step up the vaccine rollout, to protect against the new coronavirus variants. Since 27 December 2020, when the vaccination campaign began in Romania, over 9.2 million vaccine doses have been given to more than 4.8 million people. Around 4.7 million people are fully vaccinated at present.



    RISK A new list of high epidemiological risk countries took effect in Romania on Sunday. Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands are on the red list, while Greece, one of the holiday destinations of choice for Romanians, is now in the yellow zone. On arriving in Romania, travellers who are fully vaccinated are not required to isolate, regardless of the country from which they come. All persons without a full vaccine travelling from a red-list country will have to follow the 14-day quarantine requirement, while those coming from a yellow-list country are only required to quarantine if they dont have a negative PCR test or proof of having recovered from the disease.



    AID The people in the parts of Alba County (central-western Romania) affected by flash floods may receive financial aid from the government as of Monday, the PM Florin Cîţu promised on Sunday. He visited the area affected by flooding, together with the interior minister Lucian Bode, and the defence minister Nicolae Ciucă. Record amounts of precipitations have been reported in the region over the past few days, with 223 litres of rainwater per square metre within 5 hours causing unprecedented flooding in that part of the country. Minister Bode emphasised that the most important thing is that there are no victims, and mentioned that nearly 300 people have been evacuated. Also according to the interior minister, over 120 homes were destroyed, national roads were obstructed and water supply disrupted. Meanwhile, private persons, volunteers and Red Cross representatives were involved in distributing water, food and other supplies.



    FLOODS The death toll of the devastating flooding in Germany reached 156 on Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths in Western Europe up to at least 183, AFP reports. In Germany, people have been urged to stay away from basements and underground garages and passage ways, and authorities warned that flooded roads are a danger to citizens. Chancellor Angela Merkel described the situation as a ‘national tragedy and promised state aid for reconstruction and repair works. These efforts are expected to cost several billion euros. In Austria, fire fighters are in standby in the regions of Salzburg and Tirol, while the town of Hallein is under water. ‘Unfortunately, the heavy rainfalls and storms have caused severe damage in several parts of Austria,’ PM Sebastian Kurz has tweeted.



    PESTICIDE Several batches of ice-cream have been recalled from the Romanian market. The products contained small amounts of a carcinogen. The European Commission decided that products containing the additive locust bean gum (E410) contaminated with ethylene oxide must be withdrawn from the EU market even if the pesticide is not detected. After 3 emergency meetings held on the 29 and 30 June and on 13 July, the Commission also decided that the products already purchased by consumers should be recalled.



    VISIT The president of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu will be on an official visit to Georgia on 19-20 July, MOLDPRES reports. The Moldovan president will attend an international conference in Batumi, entitled ‘Three states – one choice: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the move. The event aims to improve cooperation between the 3 EU associated partners. In Batumi, Maia Sandu will have meetings with her Georgian counterpart Salome Zourabichvili, with the Ukrainian PM Volodimir Zelenski, and with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.



    TENNIS Horia Tecău (Romania) / Kevin Krawietz (Germany) were defeated by Tim Puetz (Germany) / Michael Venus (New Zealand), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 10-8, on Sunday, in the doubles final of the Hamburg tennis tournament. Tecău and Krawietz played their 4th final, and the only title they won together was in June, in the Halle tournament. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • July 18, 2021

    July 18, 2021

    COVID-19 The number of coronavirus infections in Romania remains low, with 49 new cases reported on Saturday out of over 25,000 tests conducted in 24 hours. Two new COVID-related deaths were also reported, and 32 patients are in intensive care. In related news, the European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides, who was recently on a visit to Romania, urged the authorities to step up the vaccine rollout, to protect against the new coronavirus variants. Since 27 December 2020, when the vaccination campaign began in Romania, over 9,200,000 vaccine doses have been given to more than 4,800,000 people. Around 4.7 million people are fully vaccinated at present.




    AID In the regions severely affected by flooding in Alba County, central Romania, efforts continue to help the over 200 people left without homes. The Romanian PM Florin Cîţu announced that after an assessment of the damages, the government will provide immediately any form of aid for the families affected. Meanwhile, private persons, volunteers and Red Cross representatives are involved in distributing water, food and other supplies. Record amounts of precipitations have been reported in the region over the past few days, with 223 litres of rainwater per square metre within 5 hours causing unprecedented flooding, the authorities say.




    FLOODS The death toll of the devastating flooding in Germany has reached 156 today, bringing the total number of deaths in Western Europe up to at least 183, AFP reports. In Germany, people have been urged to stay away from basements and underground garages and passage ways, and authorities warned that flooded roads are a danger to citizens. Chancellor Angela Merkel described the situation as a ‘national tragedy and promised state aid for reconstruction and repair works. These efforts are expected to cost several billion euros. In Austria, fire fighters are in standby in the regions of Salzburg and Tirol, while the town of Hallein is under water. ‘Unfortunately, the heavy rainfalls and storms have caused severe damage in several parts of Austria,’ PM Sebastian Kurz has tweeted.




    PESTICIDE Several batches of ice-cream have been recalled from the Romanian market. The products contained small amounts of a carcinogen. The European Commission decided that products containing the additive locust bean gum (E410) contaminated with ethylene oxide must be withdrawn from the EU market even if the pesticide is not detected. After 3 emergency meetings held on the 29 and 30 June and on 13 July, the Commission also decided that the products already purchased by consumers should be recalled.




    VISIT The president of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu will be on an official visit to Gergia on 19-20 July, MOLDPRES reports. The Moldovan president will attend an international conference in Batumi, entitled ‘Three states – one choice: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the move. The event aims to improve cooperation between the 3 EU associated partners. In Batumi, Maia Sandu will have meetings with her Georgian counterpart Salome Zourabichvili, with the Ukrainian PM Volodimir Zelenski, and with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.




    FILM The French director Julia Doucournau last night won the Palme d’Or for her film Titane, at the Cannes Film Festival, thus becoming the second woman awarded in this category in the festivals 7-decade long history. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Paris, the award for best director went to Leos Carax, for Annette. Caleb Landry Jones and Renate Reinsve won the awards for best actor and actress. Romanian films were also appreciated in Cannes, with Carina Gabriela Daşoveanu winning 3rd place in the Cinefondation category and Teodora Ana Mihai taking the Courage Prize in the Un certain regard category. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Flash floods hit Romania

    Flash floods hit Romania

    News reports in Romania have been focusing on rainfalls, floods and flash floods, as the country is facing the rainiest month of June in 60 years. Rivers have overflown and killed people, destroying households, crops, bridges, and in some places disrupting road and railway transport.



    Where the danger is over, people are taking stock of whats left behind, and trying to fix what they can. Teams from the Inspectorate for Emergencies have been deployed to the flooded areas, and the Romanian Water Administration authority continues to monitor the rivers that are under warnings.



    The National Hydrology and Water Management Institute has lifted the code red alerts issued a few days ago for the rivers Prut, Timiş and Jiu, in the north and centre of the country, but they replaced them with code yellow or orange alerts.



    Special attention is still paid to Prut River, as flash floods occurring upstream, in neighbouring Ukraine, are quickly advancing towards Romania. Considerable flow rate increases have also been reported in the centre of the country, in counties Harghita and Covasna, where heavy rainfalls are expected to cause flash floods and mudslides. The danger is even greater on Timiş river, in the west.



    Meanwhile, military firefighters and gendarmes are carrying on assistance and support operations in the Jiu Valley area, where mining towns like Uricani and Aninoasa were badly hit. Hundreds of households were flooded and hundreds of people were evacuated.



    The Lupeni coal mine was also flooded. Almost 400 workers were evacuated after water went into the underground galleries, reaching one and a half metres high. Coal production was suspended until the situation is addressed.



    The heavy flooding reported in recent days in Romania is a consequence of chaotic exploitation of the forests and building materials along rivers, the Minister for the Environment, Waters and Forests Costel Alexe warned, after inspections on site. It is vital that we understand we need to take better care of the environment in the near future, so as to avoid situations like these, Costel Alexe said.



    Also while on site, the Interior Minister Marcel Vela called on local authorities in all the counties affected by flooding to step up the damage assessment and to submit relevant documentation to prefect offices.



    Weather experts warn that after this rainy spell, severe heat is expected to hit Romania.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 4, 2019 UPDATE

    June 4, 2019 UPDATE

    REFERENDUM President Klaus Iohannis initiated consultations with parliamentary parties on implementing the outcome of the May 26 referendum on the judiciary. On Tuesday the head of state had talks with the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The Liberals announced they support any other initiatives required for the decision expressed by citizens in the referendum to be put into practice. The Liberal leader Ludovic Orban believes public debates on the justice laws should be resumed. The Save Romania Union leader Dan Barna emphasised that the constitutional reform should be broader, and include additional aspects to the ones covered by the referendum. The head of the Union of Ethnic Hungarians, Kelemen Hunor, also supports amending the Constitution to ban emergency ordinances in this field. On Wednesday, the President will have meetings with the Peoples Movement Party, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the national minorities group and the Social Democratic Party. Over 80% of the participants in the justice referendum, held concurrently with the EP elections, agreed that corruption offences must no longer be subject to amnesty and pardon, and that the Government must no longer pass emergency orders in the justice field.




    EU The PM of Romania Viorica Dăncilă had talks in Brussels on Tuesday with the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and first vice-president Frans Timmermans about the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, which comes to an end within a month. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Government, Juncker thanked the Romanian official for the excellent work of the Romanian presidency, which closed over 100 dossiers, including the ones on the European Border Police and Coast Guard, the European Labour Authority, the Copyright Directive and the EU Gas Directive. The two EU officials also appreciated the Romanian Governments commitment not to move on with the controversial reforms in the judiciary and to resume dialogue under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The outcome of the May 26 elections for the European Parliament was also discussed during the meeting.




    AGRICULTURE The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, chaired on Tuesday in Bucharest an informal meeting of the EU agriculture and fisheries ministers. Petre Daea told a press conference at the end of the meeting that research and bio-economy are key priorities in agriculture, because they enable EU farmers to meet the increasingly tough standards introduced by the Common Agricultural Policy, especially in terms of environment protection and climate. In turn, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan says the new CAP will earmark more money for small and medium farms in the EU, and the endorsement of a bio-economy strategy will help create around 1 million jobs in the next 10-12 years in the EU. On Monday in Bucharest Phil Hogan had a meeting with PM Viorica Dăncilă, the agenda including a legislative package aimed to reform the CAP as of 2020. According to Hogan, the European Commission has earmarked 10 billion euros for bio-economy and the development of natural resources for 2021 – 2027.



    VISIT The US President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to London, had talks with PM Theresa May on Tuesday. Trump promised that the UK may get a “phenomenal trade agreement with the US after Brexit, and praised Mays handling of the Brexit negotiations. On Monday the US President took part in a banquet at the Buckingham Palace, given by Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen emphasised the importance of the relations between the USA and Britain, and mentioned the cooperation during World War II, when British and American soldiers fought side by side to free Europe from the Nazis. The visit ends on Wednesday, with Donald Trump scheduled to attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark the D-Day landings, when on June 6, 1944, 160,000 British, American, French and other Allied troops landed in Nazi-occupied Normandy. Donald Trump will then fly to Ireland and France.




    WEATHER Meteorologists have extended an alert for unstable weather and heavy rainfalls valid across the country until Thursday night. Thunderstorms and strong wind are also expected, and precipitation amounts will reach up to 25 l per square metre, and up to 50 l per square metre in some parts of the country.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Floods hit Romania

    Floods hit Romania

    The heavy rainfalls of the recent days, assigned code yellow and orange alerts by meteorologists, have created massive problems in several parts of the country. Hydrologists have also issued several flood alerts valid in many counties, the most affected region being the north of the country, where a code red alert was in place. Flash floods were reported and the high water flow rates reached by several rivers have caused damage in scores of villages and towns.



    In the north of Romania, in Maramures County, a 63 year old man died on Wednesday, swept away by such an overflow. Several rivers flooded hundreds of hectares of farm land, pastures, households, national, county and local roads, while segments of railroad were silted up.



    In the affected areas, the authorities brought in sandbags, power pumps and other equipment in order to take the water out of the flooded households. In the village of Turbuta, in the north-west of the country, the pontoon bridge was rendered unusable, the only access way into the village being a ramshackle footbridge that makes it impossible for firefighters or ambulances to get there in case of emergency. People say the only solution is to wait for the waters to withdraw.



    Severe problems have also been reported in other villages, where roads have been affected by river overflows and the locals have to use by-pass routes. Farmers are the most upset, because many of them see their crops under water and the damage is substantial. The locals in many villages in the north of the country received warnings via the RO-Alert system, regarding a prospective major flash flood. Tens of people were evacuated, and more than 100 people called the 112 emergency number.



    In the south of Romania as well, the rainfall caused flooding that required the intervention of military firefighters, which brought in power pumps to help take out the water from peoples homes. Thousands of people were left without electricity.



    Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an aid programme of over 8 million euros for the north-east of the country, which was severely affected by floods last summer. Following the heavy rains falling from mid-June to early August 2018, massive damage was caused in terms of infrastructure, farm land and housing in 6 counties in that region, particularly in Neamt, Bacau and Suceava. The Romanian authorities estimate that the rescue and civil protection operations cost nearly 295 million euros.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Floods hit Romania

    Floods hit Romania

    The heavy rainfalls of the recent days, assigned code yellow and orange alerts by meteorologists, have created massive problems in several parts of the country. Hydrologists have also issued several flood alerts valid in many counties, the most affected region being the north of the country, where a code red alert was in place. Flash floods were reported and the high water flow rates reached by several rivers have caused damage in scores of villages and towns.



    In the north of Romania, in Maramures County, a 63 year old man died on Wednesday, swept away by such an overflow. Several rivers flooded hundreds of hectares of farm land, pastures, households, national, county and local roads, while segments of railroad were silted up.



    In the affected areas, the authorities brought in sandbags, power pumps and other equipment in order to take the water out of the flooded households. In the village of Turbuta, in the north-west of the country, the pontoon bridge was rendered unusable, the only access way into the village being a ramshackle footbridge that makes it impossible for firefighters or ambulances to get there in case of emergency. People say the only solution is to wait for the waters to withdraw.



    Severe problems have also been reported in other villages, where roads have been affected by river overflows and the locals have to use by-pass routes. Farmers are the most upset, because many of them see their crops under water and the damage is substantial. The locals in many villages in the north of the country received warnings via the RO-Alert system, regarding a prospective major flash flood. Tens of people were evacuated, and more than 100 people called the 112 emergency number.



    In the south of Romania as well, the rainfall caused flooding that required the intervention of military firefighters, which brought in power pumps to help take out the water from peoples homes. Thousands of people were left without electricity.



    Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an aid programme of over 8 million euros for the north-east of the country, which was severely affected by floods last summer. Following the heavy rains falling from mid-June to early August 2018, massive damage was caused in terms of infrastructure, farm land and housing in 6 counties in that region, particularly in Neamt, Bacau and Suceava. The Romanian authorities estimate that the rescue and civil protection operations cost nearly 295 million euros.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 17, 2019

    May 17, 2019

    WEATHER More than 3,000 fire fighters were deployed on Thursday and Friday to support the authorities and citizens in 22 villages and towns, pumping water out of the houses following the heavy rainfalls and flash floods of recent days. The most affected counties were Bistriţa Năsăud and Mures, in the centre, Gorj and Teleorman in the south, Hunedoara in the south-west and Maramureş in the north. Scores of people have been evacuated in Bistriţa-Năsăud County over the past few days, hundreds of households, company offices and public institution headquarters have been flooded, and hail damaged the farms. The National Meteorology Agency has extended the alert for unstable weather across the country until Sunday.




    INFLATION The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, has presented today the institutions quarterly inflation report. The Central Bank updated its year-end inflation forecast to 4.2% and estimates an inflation rate of 3.3% for 2020. Inflation has reversed the downward trend reported in the last quarter of 2018, and prices went up in the first 3 months of this year more than the National Bank had expected, Mugur Isărescu said. He also warned that the demand for products and services is still in excess of what the domestic economy can produce, leading to a rise in imports and a trade imbalance. Inflation in Romania is in fact among the highest in the European Union, alongside the rate in Hungary. According to the central bank governor, in the coming 3 quarters inflation will remain above target, and is expected to go down later on to around 3.5%.




    CEREMONY The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis decided to postpone the May 20 ceremony at Cotroceni Palace, when the year 2019 was scheduled to be declared the “Year of Gratitude honouring the victims of communism, 30 years after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. The Presidency announced on Friday that the head of state wants to remove any suspicions that the event may be used for electoral purposes. According to the same source, ever since taking over his office, the President has constantly worked to condemn the crimes and abuse committed by the communist repression system, and to pay tribute to the victims of totalitarianism.





    ECOFIN The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici is chairing on Friday in Brussels the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), as part of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a news release from the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, the agenda of the meeting includes the Directive on the structure of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, the Directive on general arrangements for excise duties, the digital services tax, and a review of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. Also on Friday, the Romanian Finance Minister attends the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans and Turkey.




    SWINE FEVER African swine fever is still present in Romania, in 84 villages in 16 counties, the National Veterinary and Food Safety Authority announced. Of the around 400 active outbreaks, 10 are in agricultural holdings. More than 365,000 pigs have been slaughtered so far because of this disease, which was first reported in 2017, in Satu Mare County. African swine fever does not affect humans, but has a major negative economic and social impact.




    EUROVISION Ester Peony, representing Romania in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with a piece called On a Sunday, failed to qualify to Saturdays finals in Tel Aviv, where the second semi-final was held on Thursday night. Romanias best performances in this competition were 2 third places, won by Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem in Kiev in 2005, and by Paula Seling and Ovi in Oslo in 2010, and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu, in Athens, 2006.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Extreme temperatures in Romania

    Extreme temperatures in Romania

    Tropical temperatures have been affecting these days several regions in Romania. The most serious situation is reported in eastern Romania, where several people died due to the high temperatures. The fact that they ventured out, in the extreme heat, without any form of sun protection, was the main reason for their death. The emergency services were called, but they could not save the victims.



    People have been warned that sun protection measures are vital, such as avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun and hydration. In their turn, the Sanitary Veterinary Authority and also the Food Safety Authority have both warned over the increased risk of food alteration and the incidence of food poisoning. In some Romanian cities, local authorities have taken a series of anti-heat measures and also special measures in schools, where exams are under way. First aid tents, equipped with air conditioning and where water is freely available, have also been set up. In the capital Bucharest, where extreme temperatures have been reported as well over the past few days, emergency services reported a big number of cases of high blood pressure, heart and mental problems.



    Meteorologists have warned that temperature may hit all-time highs on more than one occasion and that the heat waves are expected to be more frequent and more intense throughout the summer and even in September. Worth mentioning is that the highest temperature ever reported in Romania stood at 44.5 degrees Celsius, recorded in the Ramnicelu village in Braila County on August 10, 1951.



    For over three weeks, Romania has been seeing unusual weather, such as tropical heat, heavy rain, thunder storms and flood flows that swept through several regions. The latter killed several people and destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland, leaving dozens of areas without electricity. In Jiu Valley in the southwest and Piatra Neamt in the northeast, hail storms damaged hundreds of cars. Numerous families were forced to leave their homes. Authorities have recently announced that people who suffered damages because of the extreme weather will be compensated.


    (Translated by E. Enache)