About 600 soldiers, 100 vehicles and other equipment intervened yesterday and Sunday night in support of flood victims and for the containment of flood disaster in several counties: Ialomita, Ilfov, Dambovita, Dolj and Prahova. Most of the soldiers are in Ialomita County, ready to take action again upon request of local authorities.

The measures taken by the military consisted mainly of rescuing and evacuating humans and goods, erecting dams against floods, carrying drinking water, food and other basic materials in the disaster areas.

Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Battalion Calugareni, recently returned home from Iraq, military Engineers from Braila, Marines from Babadag and troops of the 30th Guard and Protocol Regiment, all worked to the consolidation of dams on river Ialomita in Ialomita County and expect new missions meant to prevent the effects of high floods especially along the towns of Cosambesti, THandarei and Fratilesti. The soldiers in Barbulesti and Cosambesti were inspected by the defence minister Teodor Atanasiu.

Soldiers of the 96th Engineer Battalion in Bucharest detonated yesterday, through controlled explosions, the floating reed islets on Lake Cernica, Ilfov County. The activities continue today as well.

Beds, mattresses, blankets and pillows for 50 persons were brought in the village of Rafov while the soldiers from Craiova and Targoviste brought drinking water to the flood affected population in Cotofenii din Fata (Dolj County), Potlogi and Poiana (Dambovita).

Other military units and their equipment are in stand by position in their garrisons so that they should be able to respond to a request of local authorities in flood affected areas in maximum two hours' time.

MoND Press Office