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As in some neighboring countries, residents in
Hungary's capital, Budapest, are working around the clock to fill sand
bags in a desperate fight against the rising water of the Danube
River.
Of particular concern to authorities is Budapest's
Margaret Island, a popular tourist spot, and famous for its thermal
baths, medical treatment
and luxury hotels.
Some low-lying places in downtown Budapest are already under water.
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurscany calls the situation in the
capital and across the country serious, and says the government is
monitoring the situation closely.
"We have set up a special government coordination committee to
continuously monitor the water levels to see how high the river will
rise." Mr. Gyurcsany said. On Monday, he declared a state of emergency.
The government's efforts to keep the rivers from spilling over came too
late for dozens of flooded towns and villages, including Dunaszentpal,
near the border with Slovakia. This elderly villager, Gyorgy Goldstein,
says he fears his house will collapse.
He says he is very nervous. He adds, "My house saw already three floods
since the 1960s. So, it will be flood Number Four. I don't think my house
is strong enough" to survive this flood".
In Romania, to the east, and Slovakia and the Czech Republic, to the
north, populations in low-lying areas have been put on alert. In the Czech
Republic, several people have died, and anti-flood barriers on the river
Vltava have been raised.
Czech officials have declared a state of emergency in several areas,
and in the historic city of Olomouc, 250 kilometers east of Prague,
thousands of people had to be evacuated.
In nearby Austria, the Danube remained closed for shipping Sunday. In
Hungary, the Danube is expected to crest at nine meters, breaking a record
set in 2002. Heavy rains and melting snow are being blamed for the
floods. | 
