Slovakia is experiencing its worst flooding in a thousand years, Prime Minister Robert Fico said Saturday. Nonetheless, the country has experienced "massive luck" because the death toll is not higher than the three that have so far been reported, he told a news conference attended by several government ministers. Fico also praised the work of local authorities, who probably saved thousands of lives by evacuating people promptly as the flood waters threatened. Across the country, flooding has swollen rivers and ponds to levels higher than can be measured by existing metres. Interior Minister Robert Kalinak noted that some communities which have never before experienced flooding are now facing flooding. Because they have no experience with floods, they are totally unprepared, he said. Fico warned of the likelihood that the receding waters could cause heavy damage to the country's railways and bridges. More than 3,000 troops have been deployed nationwide to support firefighters, dpa reported. Floods have been wreaking havoc across Eastern Europe for weeks, with widespread damage stretching from Poland to Serbia.
