#NATURAL DISASTER

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Cuba on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, shaking buildings in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city, and the surrounding countryside.

At least 95 people have been killed in flash floods sweeping the eastern Spanish region of Valencia following torrential rains on Tuesday that left roads and towns under water, local authorities said on Wednesday.

A reservoir in the southern Polish Silesia province has finished its emergency work in “flood damming mode” having contained the entire flood wave from the river Oder and mitigated flooding in three provinces.

The bill to defend vulnerable Polish areas from future flooding will run to 70 billion zlotys (€16.3 billion), a parliamentary committee has been told.

Polish scientists and climate activists are warning that the country could face more extreme weather events owing to climate change and poor river management.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that it is too early to say if the southwestern city of Wrocław is safe from flooding and urged all to remain on high alert.

At least 16 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes after severe flooding hit several countries in Central Europe, prompting Poland to declare a state of emergency in some areas.