Two days after the devastating floods in Northern Bulgaria, Sevlievo continues to be without drinking water, and dozens of families are still clearing their homes of the mud and damage left by the water element, bTV reported.
One of the hardest-hit areas is “Vodenicharska“ street in Sevlievo, where the water has reached over a meter and 20 centimeters.
“The water rose simply within an hour. "It was 80 centimeters, then it went up to 1.20 meters," says Amide Sinanska, whose home was flooded.
The woman explains that her family was forced to urgently evacuate together with their young child and her sick father.
"We called 112. Thanks to the firefighters, my father was taken out by boat," she says.
According to her, the recovery is currently being done mainly by our own efforts.
"With shovels, with buckets, with whatever we found, we got the water and mud out," says the woman.
According to the municipality, 85 affected households have already been visited, and their number will probably exceed 100.
The mayor of Sevlievo, Ivan Ivanov, explained that the main cause of the disaster was the huge amounts of rainfall in the area.
“In Sevlievo the rainfall was 70 liters per square meter, and on Botev Peak – 140 liters“, he said.
According to him, the combination of heavy rains, snowmelt and the full “Alexander Stamboliyski“ dam led to the flooding of the city's water treatment plant and the return of water through the sewer.
The water supply is expected to be restored by the end of the day at the earliest, if the repair work continues without complications.
“Work has been going on since yesterday morning. "If nothing unforeseen happens, the optimistic option is for the water to be released by the evening," the mayor explained.
Meanwhile, questions continue about whether the damage could have been limited by cleaning the riverbeds.
The regional government admitted that the lack of funds was among the reasons why this did not happen on time.
Three ministers are expected in Sevlievo today to discuss additional measures to support the affected people and agricultural producers.
The search for a 55-year-old man who has been missing since the tidal wave also continues.