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Heavy Rains and Flash Floods Hit Dalmatia

By 12 October 2015

After such a dry summer, a change in the weather in Dalmatia.

On Sunday, most parts of Dalmatia were hit with heavy rain. State Hydrological and Meteorological Institute reported that in the last 24 hours the largest amount of rain was recorded at the Split airport Resnik, 130 millimetres. The city of Split recorded 102.8 litres of rain per square metre, and Šibenik 105.3 litres of rain, reports Index.hr on October 12, 2015.

Due to heavy rains, the peninsula of Pelješac was again in chaos, with flash floods hitting the roads, and with mud and sludge causing problems for local population. People are day and night fighting against water which is penetrating into their homes. Locals also fear the new rains which have been forecast for the following days so they have asked relevant authorities to immediately begin with emergency works.

Landslides which descend from the top of the hill and go through Trstenik are pouring into the sea. One of the most beautiful beaches has been destroyed. The damage has been provisionally estimated at 100,000 kuna. Also, many homes have been flooded as well. In the central part of the peninsula, a large landslide has blocked traffic on the main road between Ston and Orebić near the town of Tabor.

RTL reports that a 61-year-old man is missing on the island of Hvar. His boat has been found, and there are fears he may be the first victim of the latest storm which has hit Dalmatia.

Local population have been warning about this danger for months, but the same scenario is repeated with each new rain. Floods, mud and silt are creating big problems for the locals who are fighting against the weather. Small dams which have been put up by Hrvatske Vode two days ago only mitigated the situation. Prior to large forest fires which hit the area during the summer, the water was held back by pine forests, and now it freely drains down the hill.

According to seven-day forecast, the weather will again worsen. Rain has been forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with temperatures dropping to as low as 5 °C.

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