Four countries have given humanitarian aid to people hurt by the recent flood in Moldova, said Moldova Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Stepanyuk.

"We have received pumps and electric generators from the Czech Republic, food, laundry powder, and sanitation equipment from Turkey, and medicines and food from Austria. Last night we received the first aid from Russia - pumps, clothes, bed linen, etc.," said Stepanyuk. He added that the rest of the cargo is expected on Tuesday.

Some 520 families in the northern part of Moldova received some 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid from the state and NGOs. "On Tuesday, aid will be distributed in the southern regions of the country [], where the water levels are still high," the deputy prime minister said.

Last week, the Prut and Dniester rivers burst their and many populated areas were flooded. As a result of the calamity, over 5,000 people were evacuated and over 1,000 buildings were flooded, of which at least 100 were fully destroyed.

Moldova was hit by the worst flooding in the past one hundred years. The risen waters of the rivers Prut and Dniester submerged 46 settlements, destroyed about a hundred houses and caused evacuation of about six thousand people, leaving thousands shelterless.

In response to the call from the Government of Moldova, Lithuania is sending the following relief supplies: 10 motor rubber boats, 9 rubber boats, 150 pairs of rubber boots.

The relief is scheduled to leave for Moldova later today.

Lithuania has already shipped relief supplies to disaster-hit Ukraine and Romania.

In Moldova 10.500 ha of crop sowing areas suffered from floods, reported Anatoliy Gorodenko, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry of Moldova.

According to him, sunflower, winter wheat and sugar-beet sowing areas suffered the most. 246 ha of sunflower, 167 ha of winter wheat, 162 ha of maize, 102 ha of sugar-beet, 100 ha of soy are among destroyed crops.

The widespread flooding in Moldova, Ukraine and Romania has triggered a rapid and effective response from the European Commission and the EU Member States. EU Member States have offered vital assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism involving boats, pumps, generators, water purification and emergency equipment is now well under way. The EU's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) dispatched experts to facilitate the coordination of the relief effort on the ground in Moldova and Ukraine. Furthermore, a European Commission humanitarian aid expert is currently in Ukraine to asses the needs.

"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of the victims of these floods," said Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the Environment and Civil Protection. "Civil protection is a European concern, and I am happy to see that Member States have expressed European solidarity by responding generously to the requests for assistance made through the Monitoring and Information Centre. Any country – Member State or not – is welcome to apply for assistance in times of need".

In expressing condolences to the Presidents Yuschenko of Ukraine and Voronin of Moldova, Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, responsible for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, indicated the Commission's willingness to consider the case for possible EU reconstruction assistance should this also be necessary for these countries.

Heavy rain in the Carpathians last week has brought catastrophic consequences for several countries downstream. The EU's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) has been coordinating the European response. The MIC has received requests for specific equipment from all three countries, which have been circulated to all Member States' civil protection authorities. Their response has been quick and generous.

The MIC teams on the ground work in close cooperation with experts from the EC Delegation and DG ECHO. Last Friday 1st August, a European Commission Humanitarian Aid expert was sent to Ukraine to assess needs and to follow rescue operations during the weekend together with a mission from Belgium.

In addition, two teams of EU experts brought together by the EU's MIC arrived in Kiev and Chisinau today. Together with Commission experts, they will go to Western Ukraine and the affected areas of Moldova to assess reconstruction needs and civil protection assistance to be provided. They will also facilitate the coordination of incoming EU assistance and monitor its use.

The Commission stands ready to respond in the case of an appeal for international humanitarian aid and is ready to consider in detail the case for possible EU financial Assistance for reconstruction should this be requested.

The Commission is ready to consider assistance for humanitarian aid and reconstruction should this be requested, and according to the needs.

Assistance to Romania

Although the rains have now abated in Romania, and the situation has eased along the Siret and Tisza rivers, flooding continues along the Prut, where the situation is still deteriorating.

The floods have already claimed five lives in Romania and destroyed almost 100 houses. More than 1000 kilometres of road have been affected, and 45 km of dikes have been swamped. The country launched an appeal for generators, dikes and geo-textile. Some 47 generators have already been made available by Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic. Poland has also sent 15 000m2 of stabilising geo-textile. The MIC has also facilitated a further offer of generators from Switzerland.

Assistance to Ukraine

The flooding in Ukraine, which started in the northwest of the country, has now moved to the southwest. Up to 15,000 people are estimated to have been affected, and there are at least 30 dead. Six regions of the country have been hit, with the worst of the damage coming along the banks of the Dniester and Prut rivers. The EU is sending a team of three experts that will arrive in the Ukraine tonight and travel to the affected areas tomorrow to help coordinate assistance. In addition to this expert assistance, the EU response has included boats, tents and sleeping bags from the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Estonia and Spain.

Assistance to Moldova

Downstream from Ukraine, Moldova has also been badly hit, with 99 houses destroyed and 882 more flooded. More than 7000 people have been evacuated from 12 regions, and the situation may still deteriorate. Many dikes along the Dniester river have been completely destroyed.

The EU has sent a six-man team of experts to the country, and boats, pumps, generators and rubber boots have now been provided by the Czech Republic and Estonia.

Background information:

The Community Civil Protection Mechanism facilitates and supports the mobilisation and coordination of Member States' civil protection assistance in the event of major emergencies. The EU's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), operated by the European Commission in Brussels, is the operational heart of the Community Mechanism for Civil Protection. It is available on a 24/7 basis, and provides countries access to the community civil protection platform. Any country affected by a major disaster – inside or outside the EU – can launch a request for assistance through the MIC. During emergencies the MIC coordinates the exchange of requests and offers of assistance and provides information on civil protection preparedness and response to participating states as well as a wider audience of interested stakeholders.

Further information: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/prote/mic.htm

The Czech Republic will send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Moldova hit by the recent disastrous floods, the Czech Fire Brigade told CTK today.

Each of the countries will receive aid...

At the moment, Moldavia carries out active work to flood elimination. The special commission has been created in the republic which deals with appraisal of damage caused by natural disaster. As Alconews.ru inform, the northern regions of the country suffered from flood most of all.

Property damage has not been calculated yet, but specialists tell that more than 30% of grape harvest was lost in the water.