Over the last weeks the Order of Malta’s relief service in Romania (SAMR) has been providing emergency aid after the severe floods in Romania. Yesterday the prime minister Emil Boc announced 26 deaths with around 7000 homes damaged at an estimated cost of several hundred million euro. 37 of the country’s 41 provinces have been affected.

The Order of Malta’s relief service has gone into action in the Danube delta, currently one of the most isolated areas. The SAMR has personnel and means in place in Patlageanca, Plaur and Ceatalchioi. In this latter locality, it has used boats to rescue 50 families blocked in their homes by the floods. Tents, boots, food and detergents have been distributed to 78 families in Patlageanca and subsequently to other communities. Aid has also been extended to other areas in Romania and Moldavia.

The Malteser Hilfsdienst, the Order of Malta’s relief service in Germany, has provided financial aid while the border police and civil defence unit are supporting the SAMR in the field. “Their cooperation has been vital for our work,” said Zsuzsa Barla, Secretary General of the Order of Malta’s relief service in Romania.

The SAMR has had to mobilize its emergency services several times over the last 20 years: after the 2006 floods; during the drought that affected eastern Romania in 2007-2008; and in 2008 after the floods in northern Romania.