A state of disaster has been declared in the Strumyani municipality following two tidal waves on the Shashka and Zlinska mountain rivers. Torrential rainfall has caused damage to infrastructure and disrupted vital communications in the area.

Seven people have been evacuated from affected locations. At present, there are no reports of fatalities or people in distress, but power and water supplies have been cut off in the municipal center, and the railway line in the area has also been affected.

The strong currents have deposited significant amounts of sediment and trees, which has hindered the access of rescue teams to parts of the municipality. There are reports of damaged road sections and bridge structures.

Severe damage in Satovcha

A partial state of disaster remains in effect in the Satovcha municipality following the intense rainfall of the previous day. The village of Kochan is the most severely affected, where in about an hour and a half, the heavy downpour turned streets into rivers.

Water has flooded numerous houses, causing damage to ground floors, yards, and property. Agricultural produce in the area has also been affected. There are also restrictions on part of the road between the villages of Kochan and Zhizhevo.

Search continues in Peshtera

In Peshtera, the search operation continues for a 58-year-old man who went missing after a sharp rise in the water level of the Stara Reka river. According to initial information, he was trying to help his wife and child when the rising water reached their home in the "Lukovitsa" district.

"Their house is located near the river, and when the tidal wave came, he went to save his son and wife, and the river swept him away," explained the Deputy Mayor of Peshtera Municipality, Galabina Karamitreva.

Police teams, volunteers, tracking dogs, and a drone are participating in the search. The riverbed and hard-to-reach sections along the current are being checked, but the man has not been found yet.

In Peshtera and Batak, the situation is gradually normalizing, but the road between the two towns was closed to traffic due to dangerous sections and incurred damage.

Assistance for affected households

Teams from the "Social Assistance" directorates are beginning inspections of properties affected by the floods in the Batak and Peshtera municipalities. They will assess the damage and inform owners about options for social support.

People with damaged property can apply for a one-time grant of up to three times the poverty line – 1,171 euros. In cases of damage to a family's only residence, additional aid of up to 1,550 euros may be granted.

Social workers offered temporary accommodation to the affected families as early as Sunday evening. Some of the people, however, preferred to stay with their relatives and kin.

Over 100 reports in Sofia

Following the storm in Sofia, over 100 reports were received by the "Emergency Assistance and Prevention" directorate at the Sofia Municipality. They were mainly related to clogged manholes due to fallen leaves and temporary issues with traffic lights.

"We do not have partially flooded streets; there were clogged manholes as a result of fallen foliage. The moment they were cleared of the leaves, the water drained. There were some small problems with the traffic lights. Their emergency teams were notified, they came, fixed them, and currently everything is functioning and working," stated the director of the directorate, Maria Teneva.