site.btaUPDATED Parts of Southwestern Bulgaria Report Intense Rainfall, Flooding of Villages

Large parts of Southwestern Bulgaria reported intense rainfall and torrential rain on Thursday, with quantities between 80 and 100 litres of rain per square metre forecast for the region until Friday.

The situation in the villages of Novo Delchevo, Dzhigurovo and Leshnitsa is difficult, Sandanski Mayor Atanas Stoyanov told BTA on Thursday. Reports of flooding have been registered in many places in Sandanski and in the settlements, he stressed, adding that the rainfall is intense. "We are doing everything possible to respond to every report received through the Fire Department and through the teams of the Sandanski Municipality. The situation is dynamic, complex and difficult," the Mayor noted. The main problems are related to flooding in basements and ground floors.

A state of emergency has been declared in Petrich Municipality, the press centre of the Regional Administration said. The situation there remains complicated, Petrich Mayor Dimitar Brachkov told BTA, adding that all teams of the municipality, the Emergency Unit and the Regional Fire Safety and Population Protection Service are working on the ground. He stressed that the torrential rains have led to excessive irrigation of the land, which has difficulty absorbing additional amounts of rain. The forecast is for more significant precipitation to fall at night, he noted, and pointed out that continuous monitoring of the levels of rivers, reservoirs and dams in the municipality is being carried out.

Petrich Emergency Unit head Kiril Stoykov said that the Unit consisting of over ten people visited critical points in the municipality due to the torrential rain. He noted that the municipal administration has on-duty teams that will monitor critical points and respond if necessary, adding that there are no reports of flooded houses in Petrich Municipality. Citizens can report problems related to rainfall and water facilities on the emergency number 112 or the Municipal Administration's on-duty number.

The municipal administrations of Petrich and Sandanski emphasized that the paid parking zones in both towns will not operate due to the adverse weather conditions and intense rainfall. 

Blagoevgrad Regional Governor Georgi Dinev convened an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday with some of the members of the Regional Disaster Protection Council. The aim of the meeting was to take preventive measures and reduce the consequences of disasters in connection with the expected rainfall in the region.