TIRANA, Jan. 6 – The first week of 2016 saw heavy rains throughout Albania, including Tirana, where some areas of the capital flooded.
The heaviest rainfall was registered in the afternoon and early evening hours on Wednesday, causing traffic disruptions, while incessant rain also caused the Lana river, which streams through Tirana, to surge above its higher banks in certain places.
Albania’s Ministry of the Interior said 25 families had to be evacuated from their homes in the outskirts of Tirana as water threatened to flood their dwellings.
The heavy rain was also responsible for similar situations elsewhere around Tirana, including the presence of water in the national road linking Tirana with the nearby city of Durres.
Meanwhile, schools also suspended their activity for the day in the Albanian capital.
The most critically affected area was the district of Lezha, with the area being seriously threatened by floods. The minister of agriculture traveled to the area on Wednesday to closely monitor the situation.
Albania has repeatedly faced serious flooding, a trend that was seen last in the southern parts of the country in early 2015, causing significant damages and badly affecting the agricultural sector.
