|
By ALEN MLATISUMA
Associated Press Writer
PODGORICA,
Yugoslavia (AP)--Flooding forced 2,000 people to flee their
homes and threatened historic monuments Friday in Montenegro,
Yugoslavia's smaller republic.
The
rising level of the Zeta River swamped sections of Danilovgrad
and other towns in the area, forcing residents to evacuate
more than 400 homes.
``There
are problems all around,'' said Jaksa Djurovic, a city official
in Danilovgrad, who was frantically trying to coordinate
rescue efforts.
``We
are trying to find accommodation for the (evacuated) people,''
Djurovic said, adding that drinking water supplies and telephone
services also was disrupted.
Although
rains slacked off Friday, some residents were evacuated
from the shores of Lake Skadar, near the border with Albania.
A vital
railroad connecting the key seaport of Bar on the Adriatic
Coast with inland regions could be endangered if the rains
continue, officials said.
In some
areas, people were moving to higher floors of houses and
apartment buildings while awaiting rescuers, who struggled
to reach them by boat because many roads were impassable.
In Cetinje,
Montenegro's ancient capital, boats evacuated dozens of
people while floodwaters threatened the medieval archives
and the city's treasured library.
The
medieval town of Kotor on the coast has been partly flooded
since Thursday, its cobblestone streets under water.
Meanwhile,
Serbia struggled with an acute electricity shortage caused
by low water levels at the reservoirs of the Yugoslav republic's
hydroelectric power stations.
Nearly
all parts of Serbia had electricity switched off for up
to 12 hours in recent days, and the outages continued Friday,
with the government announcing it would limit the outages
to up to six hours per day.
The
worst-ever energy crisis in Serbia was beginning to undermine
the popularity of the new, pro-democracy leadership that
replaced former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Some
sectors of the capital, Belgrade, were paralyzed Thursday
by protesters who erected barricades, blocking roads and
tram lines. The blackouts made traffic lights fail on main
squares and junctions, multiplying traffic jams.
Serbia's
energy minister, Srboljub Antic, stepped down Thursday,
despite an earlier announcement that a vital agreement had
been reached with Russia's Gazprom to supply badly needed
natural gas in 2001.
|
