Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic from the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) visited the flooded towns of Handlová and Prievidza and villages in the Upper Nitra area on August 15 to personally see the current situation, the TASR newswire was told by the Interior Ministry’s spokesperson Lucia Garajová.
A storm lasting for several hours in Upper Nitra caused the localised floods. Handlova faced a critical situation, as the water washed away a local bridge. There was a third degree-flood alert around the Nitra and Handlovka rivers and the town of Prievidza. Local traffic has been diverted.
Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko of the Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS) was also in Handlová. According to Defence Ministry spokesman Richard Sumeghy, a reconnaissance unit – five soldiers and three trucks – were dispatched to the area and other soldiers and engineering units were on standby.
More than 640 soldiers with 60 engineering vehicles aided civilians in Slovakia affected by the floods, TASR was told by the Slovak Armed Forces spokesman, Milan Vanga. According to Vanga, 23 soldiers along with 48 members of the Military Police have been dispatched to clear the river banks and protect the property of people in Handlová.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
