U Herske Hradiste, Czech Republic; 16 July 1997 (RFE/RL) -- The flood waters of the Morava River have largely receded, leaving behind a muddy coating in low-lying areas of eastern Moravia.
Our correspondent reports that in the historic town of U Herske Hradiste, more than 9,000 people fled or were evacuated late last week. The mayor has issued a night-time curfew and says the curfew and a ban on returning will remain in effect for at least 10 days.
He says that before people can safely return, all the cellars in town must be pumped dry, and drinking water and public lighting restored.
In U Herske Hradiste, shopkeepers today were busy cleaning up and a crowd of people who refused calls to evacuate waited in line for bread, water and baby food.
Meanwhile, the Morava River overflowed its banks today further downstream, flooding several small villages and some small oil wells in the area.