People shall be given priority in crisis situations, Moldovan PM says

Chisinau, 3 June /MOLDPRES/-Prime Minister Pavel Filip chaired a meeting at the government today. The participants discussed the situation created by heavy rain over the past few days, damage caused by the bad weather and measures taken to prevent flood risks, the government’s communication and press relations department has reported.

The prime minister said helping people hurt by calamities should be the main priority for authorities, followed by the need to find solutions to the rest of the problems caused by heavy rain. Filip asked authorities in charge to present truthful information on the situation of dams and measures that are being taken, in order to consolidate them and prevent damages and possible crisis situations.

At the same time, the prime minister required the Civil Protection and Emergency Situations Service to contact its Romanian counterpart body and discuss ways for Moldova to help and support Romania, which currently copes with difficulties caused by bad weather as well. “Romania has helped as numerous times, sometimes at the cost of human lives. Yesterday’s tragedy is a harsh reminder of this fact,” Filip noted.

Authorities in charge reported on the current situation, damages, current risks and measures taken to address them. According to data of the Civil Protection and Emergency Situations Service, bad weather conditions did not cause any human victims in Moldova, while national roads had already been cleaned and can be accessed. Most of the precipitation fell in the country’s southern and central areas. Two monthly norms of precipitation fell in Moldova during 31 May-3 June 2016, causing the soil’s water super-saturation. Possible landslides may happen in some region because of excessive moisture. However, the situation is continuously being monitored and authorities are ready to intervene, if necessary.

Authorities said dams were in a satisfactory state, and the water storage level poses no danger of flooding. Also, Prime Minister Pavel Filip asked authorities in charge to mobilize and be maximally vigilant in the management of the created crisis cell.

“I thank you for your actions so far, but I ask you to stay tuned until rains stop and until we manage to overcome this situation. We will continue to work in a further non-stop regime,” Filip said.

Officials also tackled the investigation of the SMURD helicopter crash in Cantemir district. To this effect, law-enforcement bodies said Romanian investigation bodies had already arrived to Moldova and were involved into the investigation process. Filip said the decision to grant financial support of one million lei to the families of the deceased ones, will be adopted during the cabinet’s next meeting.

(Editor A. Raileanu)