The most intense flood defence work is being carried out along Nanasi-Kiralyok Road in the third district, Margaret Island and the area around the Dagaly baths at the northern Pest embankment, Karacsony said in a post on Facebook.

On Nanasi-Kiralyok Road, a clay levee is being built along several kilometres, the mayor said.

On Margaret Island, 800,000 sandbags are being filled, he continued, noting that the island has been closed to traffic from Margaret Bridge and will likely also be closed from the direction of Arpad Bridge.

Meanwhile, a mobile dam will be built near the Dagaly baths.

The bridges leading to Hajogyari Island will be closed and power to the island will be cut, Karacsony confirmed.

The floods are also expected to cause delays in public transport, with the tram lines along the Danube being the main ones to be affected, he added.

Karacsony thanked those contributing to the flood protection efforts.



Govt weighs impact of flooding on SMEs

The government could provide support to small businesses hit by flooding, Richard Szabados, the National Economy Ministry's state secretary for SMEs said.

Flood defence is the immediate priority, but the impact of the flooding on SMEs is being gauged, Szabados said, consulting on flood defence efforts in Esztergom, in the north of the country.

He said business organisations had been urged at a meeting of the Business Development Council on Tuesday to conduct a rapid assessment of damages caused by the flooding to SMEs, including closures, inventory delivery stoppages and staff shortages.

On the basis of feedback, the National Economy Ministry could recommend support for those SMEs to the government, if necessary, he added.


MVM takes flood defence steps

MVM Group has started safety measures, in coordination with national and local authorities, at its gas and electricity networks affected by flooding, the state-owned energy company said.

Gas and electricity could be shut off in some settlements along the Danube, MVM said. MVM will keep its customers informed of changes on the website mvmhalozat.hu

Danube Flood Threatens Several Historic Budapest Baths

The flood approaching Budapest along the Danube will affect several baths and spas, necessitating protection measures, Budapest Gyogyfurdoi es Hevizei (BGYH), the company that operates the baths, said on Wednesday.

With Margaret Island threatened with inundation, the popular Palatinus baths on the island is now closed to the public, the company said.

Staff there have begun implementing protection measures, including 24-hour monitoring of the 10-hectare site and measures to protect the 100-year-old wave pool.

High water levels are also endangering the Gellert, Rudas, Rac, Kiraly and Lukacs thermal baths, as well as the Punkosdfurdo pool, BGYH said.

Water pumps, mobile power generators and sandbags have been provided to help protect each site, it said.


Fidesz calls for free public transport in Budapest during floods

Alexandra Szentkiralyi, the leader of ruling Fidesz's Budapest chapter, has called on the mayor of Budapest to ensure free use of the city's public transport services during the closure of the embankments of the Danube due to the flood.

Traffic in Budapest has slowed down due to flood protection measures, she said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday.

"We ask Mayor Gergely Karacsony to arrange for allowing the public to use services operated by Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) free of charge and promote the use of public transportation means by car owners."


Flood defence capabilities lot more developed than in 2013

Although Hungary is facing the biggest flood since the one in 2013 it has a lot more developed flood defence capabilities than eleven years ago, the parliamentary state secretary of the interior ministry told a press briefing on the flood situation on Tuesday.

The peak water levels are expected to exceed last week's levels by 6-6.5 metres in the Szigetkoz, the Danube Bend and Budapest, Bence Retvari said. Rivers will carry 400 percent more water at their peak this week, he continued.

Since 2013, the country's flood defence system has been significantly improved with 150 billion forints (EUR 380.4m) worth of development projects completed, he said.

Those included the upgrade of dikes, the construction of facilities helping flood defence, building rainwater storages and a clean-up of riverbeds, Retvari added.

He noted that defence operations were ongoing along a 390km river section and at 35 settlements coordinated by local mayors and supported by the disaster management and water management authorities.

Police have dispatched officers to nine sites who arrange road closures and are also filling sandbags, Retvari added. He said schools, health-care and social institutions operate uninterrupted.

"State leaders participating in flood defence have postponed all of their international obligations for as long as the situation is difficult at the dams," Retvari said.

Istvan Lang, the head of Hungary's Water Management Directorate, said the Danube is forecast to peak at a level 30-50cm below the level of the 2013 flood.

All of the affected municipalities have arranged for the setting up of dikes which are nearly half-way ready, he said, adding that they will be fully completed by the time the rivers peak.

The directorate has assigned an additional staff of 298 to be on duty along the 1,500km state-managed defence line, arranged for the delivery of 2 million sandbags and the distribution of more than 1 million sandbags to local governments, Lang said.

The Leitha river is expected to peak at Mosonmagyarovar on Wednesday night, he said. The Danube is expected to peak at Szigetkoz on Thursday morning at Gyor in the evening on that day, at Komarom on Friday morning and in Esztergom on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday the river is expected to peak at Nyergesfalu in the early morning, at Vac later on and in Budapest on Saturday evening, Lang added.


Hungary deploying as many soldiers as necessary to aid with flood defence work

As many as 1,400 soldiers are assisting flood protection efforts in Hungary, but the military is prepared to deploy as many service members as necessary, the defence minister said on Tuesday morning.

Troops are working day and night along the Danube and are also present in the Mosonmagyarovar area in the northwest and at two localities in Komarom-Esztergom County in the north, Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky said, according to a ministry statement.

Soldiers are also being deployed to other towns and villages, he said.

"The Hungarian Armed Forces is providing assistance in handling the situation caused by the floods as requested by the counties," Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

The military is using PTS-M tracked amphibious vehicles as well as H145M helicopters in the defence work, the minister said, adding that plans are to deploy professional, contract and reservist troops to aid with the protection efforts.

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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