1970 floods in Romania
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 Flood victims attempting to move about in Alba Iulia, May 1970 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | May–June 1970 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 209 |
| Damage | $500 million – $1 billion |
| Areas affected | Romania |
The 1970 floods in Romania, brought on by river swelling caused by torrential rains, high winds and a heat wave that melted snow in the Carpathian Mountains,[1] were the worst in modern Romanian history in loss of life, and caused the most damage up to the 2006 floods: at least $500 million;[2] perhaps over $1 billion.[3][4]
The floods began around May 12 and lasted into mid-June. 209 people were killed, 41,000 houses were damaged or totally destroyed (leaving at least 265,000 homeless),[3] over a million arable acres were inundated, over 100,000 sheep, pigs, cows and chickens (including over 35,000 head of cattle)[1] drowned, 146 factories were idled at least temporarily, and over 250 miles (400 km) of highway required repair.[5] At least 240,000 people were evacuated, some repeatedly.[1] Thirty-seven of Romania's then 39 counties were severely damaged, with 230 towns and villages hit in just the first twelve days,[6] including Sighișoara and Mediaș, the women and children of which were evacuated to centres in hill villages while the men salvaged possessions.[3] Airports, including those at Sibiu and Satu Mare, were flooded and closed. Railway systems were damaged, and landslides blocked roads and carried away telegraph lines.[6]
Broadly speaking, floodwaters moved from the northern and central regions toward the Danube lowlands in the south and east.[6] The Prahova,[6] Târnava, Olt (threatening Râmnicu Vâlcea and Slatina)[3] and Tisza[7] rivers were among those affected, as well as the Danube (which rose up to 6½ ft above normal spring high-water levels, flooding docks and port installations in Turnu Severin),[8] Prut and Siret.[6] As crests rolled onward, downstream localities knew to fear the worst: for instance, Galați and Brăila knew by June 3 that floods from three weeks earlier would reach them on June 11, the question being if their dikes would hold. The neighbouring Soviet Union and Bulgaria were not nearly as threatened, as the Prut and Danube banks are steep and high on their shores.[1] The floods also came in phases: for instance, the waters were just beginning to recede when on May 23–24 renewed heavy rain and snowfalls raised their level again.[9]
Significant resources were mobilised to fight the waters and their effects. Medical teams toured most areas of the country warning people not to drink polluted water (many drinking water installations were destroyed) and inoculating all citizens aged 2 to 55 against typhoid fever.[3][6] Thousands of soldiers and civilians worked around the clock to build miles of new dikes and reinforce old ones.[1]
