Orange flood warning for rivers in southern Romania in early November
On 1 November, Romania's hydrology institute extended an orange flood warning to rivers in Gorj, Mehedinți, Vâlcea and Argeș until midday on 2 November, with heavy rain forecast in the southern Carpathians and snow at altitude.
What happened
Romania’s weather service issued an orange warning for 50–70 litres of rain per square metre in the mountain areas of Mehedinți and Gorj from Sunday 1 November into Monday, with snow above 1,700 m. On Sunday, the national hydrology institute extended an orange flood warning to rivers in Gorj, Mehedinți, Vâlcea and Argeș, from 18:00 until midday on Monday. Forecasters expected fast-rising streams and flash floods, possibly above official flood-defence levels. Several other counties were on yellow warning.
Why it matters
Flash floods leave little time to act, and the warning explicitly included small unmapped streams. That applies well beyond Romania: a stream that is usually a trickle is easy to overlook when you judge your flood risk.
What you can do
- When a warning is issued, move valuables up from the basement and ground floor, and keep documents and medicines within reach (see Protecting your home from floods).
- Work out now how you would leave and where you would go, and never walk or drive through moving water (see What to do in a flood).
- Read phone alerts to the end and follow local instructions (see Sirens, alerts and shelters).
Helpful guides
- Emergencies What to do in a flood Flood warnings, what to do if your home is in a flood zone, how to evacuate and what to check when you return. Advice for your home and for the road.
- Home Protecting your home from floods What to do before snowmelt and spring rains to protect your home: check your flood risk, clear gutters and drains, fit a backwater valve and sump pump, move valuables up and prepare sandbags.
- Emergencies Sirens, alerts and shelters How public warning systems work, why you should never turn off emergency alerts on your phone, how to find your nearest shelter and what to take with you.