Bucharest and over 60 localities across Romania affected by heavy rainfall

The heavy rainfall over the past week has affected over 60 localities in 16 counties and the municipality of Bucharest, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU). Rescue teams intervened to evacuate water from 7 houses, 75 yards, 13 cellars/basements (one public institution), seven household annexes, and five streets, as well as to clear one electricity pole and 23 fallen trees, with 12 vehicles being damaged.

The affected counties were Argeş, Bacău, Botoşani, Braşov, Buzău, Cluj, Covasna, Harghita, Ialomiţa, Iaşi, Ilfov, Mureş, Neamţ, Suceava, Vaslui, and Vrancea.

Road traffic was also temporarily blocked on 3 national roads and 2 county roads due to accumulated water, debris, and fallen trees on the roadway, according to IGSU.

In the locality of Dumbrăviţa, Braşov County, 18 minors were preventively evacuated from a flooded home by local authorities and relocated to relatives. Meanwhile, in Şupitca, Botoşani County, three people were preventively evacuated by local authorities and relocated to relatives, due to the high risk of isolation.

Similarly, in the locality of Ciugheş, Bacău County, the temporary bridge over the Trotuş River was washed away, and 1,778 people were left isolated by road.

In Bucharest, a tree fell on a car in traffic, but the driver was not injured. In Manasia, Ialomiţa County, a floating bridge providing access to agricultural areas was washed away.

In the locality of Băcel, Covasna County, the high water levels of the Negru River led to the evacuation of approximately 100 people from 54 homes. The evacuated individuals will be relocated to the sports hall in the locality of Dobârlău. Currently, no homes have been directly affected by flooding, but the situation continues to be monitored.

IGSU representatives added that the 80 people who were preventively evacuated on Monday from the localities of Băcel and Lunca Mărcuşului in Covasna County have returned to their homes, while four others evacuated on Monday remain relocated to relatives.

Currently, there are no reports of people being trapped or medical emergencies that cannot be attended to due to the weather phenomena, and no power supply disruptions have been recorded, the IGSU representatives also reported.

Weighing in on the situation, environment minister Mircea Fechet said that the soil is already saturated and new significant amounts of precipitation are forecasted. “It is possible that May 2025 will rank among the top 5 rainiest Mays in history,” the minister stated during an emergency meeting, according to