Europe Faces Floods, Mud

(AP)  Flood victims waded into their homes Wednesday to shovel out mud and cleanup crews cleared the debris from streets after heavy rains deluged central and southern Europe.

More than 250 residents from a submerged section of Bern, the
Swiss capital, were evacuated by helicopter, and Romanian officials
said seven people drowned overnight when waters surged into their
homes.

The storms have killed 34 people across Europe this week,
authorities said Wednesday, warning that the number could climb as
the missing are accounted for. Worst hit was Romania, with 25 dead
and thousands of homes inundated. Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland
reported a total of nine dead.

In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder promised assistance for
those affected by flooding in Bavaria. Authorities prepared for
rising river levels downstream from the Alps.

Military helicopters airlifted tourists out of some of the
hardest-hit areas in Austria, where streets had crumbled beside the
swollen rivers. Parts of the western Austrian province of
Vorarlberg remained cut off by closed roads, although sunny skies
Wednesday and predictions of a break from the torrential downpour
raised spirits.

"The situation is a bit better," said Doris Ita, the head of
Austria's flood emergency department.

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