The members of the 24 households in Criva, Drepcăuți and Lipcani village of Briceni district, who were evacuated amid the danger of floods, were accommodated by relatives. They took their fowls and domestic animals with them. A part of the property was taken to attics, while another part was stored at the dorm of the Teacher Training College in Lipcani town.

Contacted by IPN for details, the head of Briceni district Vitaly Lupashko said the heavy rain started on June 15 and the level of water in the Prut River increased gradually. There was torrential rain in Ukraine’s Cernăuți and Novoselitsa towns and the danger of floods comes from there too. During 48 hours alone, the level of water rose by 2 meters.

Floodwater reaches the gates of people’s homes and cellars. Vitaly Lupashko voiced hope that the situation of 2008, when there were serious floods, will not repeat.

The district head also said that there was convened the commission for emergencies covering three localities. The people living in areas that are in danger of floods were warned about the risks. All the locals who accepted to be evacuated were housed.

Fixed posts were set up in the risk areas to monitor the situation and report on the rise in the level of water on the supervised segments. Monitoring points were placed in Lipcani town and in Drepcăuți and Criva villages.

The State Hydrometeorological Service has issued an orange code advisory for possible floods on the Prut River following the recent heavy precipitation. The level of water on the Criva-Costeşti-Stânca section is expected to rise by about 2 meters.

In connection with the decision to increase the volume of water discharged from the Costești-Stânca accumulation lake to 510 m3/s, taken by the expert subcommission, the level of water on the Costeşti-Stânca-Cantemir sector is projected to increase by 2.5-3.5 meters, while on the Cantemir-Brânza sector by 1-2 meters.