Hungary’s capital, Budapest, has faced serious flooding this weekend, with the city river’s levels reaching a 10-year high.
The peak of Danube’s water crest rose to almost 8.5 meters on Saturday evening, reaching a 10-year high. It is now dropping.
A 760-kilometer-long fortification composed of nearly two million sandbags was set up this weekend to brace Budapest from the overflowing Danube.
The flood was a consequence of Storm Boris which swept through Central and Eastern Europe last week. Experts say the storm is widely considered to be an indicator of global warming which is causing extreme weather events.
The flooding, which reached the steps of the Hungarian parliament, resulted in the government calling for a state of emergency for five days.
The city's authorities also decided to close Margaret Island, a recreational area with hotels and restaurants, which stymied the plans of many tourists.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony confirmed at an overnight press conference that the city is coping very well with the extreme weather events.
“The difficulty is behind us, but it’s not over yet. We still have a lot of tasks ahead of us,” he said.
The situation is improving in western Hungary, where the Danube’s level has already dropped by several tens of centimeters. Hydrologists are also constantly monitoring the water level in the Litava River and the emergency reservoir located in its course. At the moment, they are focusing on detecting and tracking phenomena such as seeping or waterlogged embankments and flood control fortifications.
A 760-kilometer-long fortification composed of nearly two million sandbags was set up this weekend to brace Budapest from the overflowing Danube.
The flood was a consequence of Storm Boris which swept through Central and Eastern Europe last week. Experts say the storm is widely considered to be an indicator of global warming which is causing extreme weather events.
The flooding, which reached the steps of the Hungarian parliament, resulted in the government calling for a state of emergency for five days.
The city's authorities also decided to close Margaret Island, a recreational area with hotels and restaurants, which stymied the plans of many tourists.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony confirmed at an overnight press conference that the city is coping very well with the extreme weather events.
“The difficulty is behind us, but it’s not over yet. We still have a lot of tasks ahead of us,” he said.
The situation is improving in western Hungary, where the Danube’s level has already dropped by several tens of centimeters. Hydrologists are also constantly monitoring the water level in the Litava River and the emergency reservoir located in its course. At the moment, they are focusing on detecting and tracking phenomena such as seeping or waterlogged embankments and flood control fortifications.
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