CNN producer note

DrAl

CNN producer note

DrAlban of Shkoder, Albania, went up in a flood rescue helicopter yesterday as teams distributed food to isolated homes in the severely flooded city. He says it’s been raining for three weeks and it’s overflowing artificial lakes in the area. He estimates that about a quarter of the city is inundated. 'We have artificial lakes that run hydro power plants. These lakes are getting water in. The government has decided to open the security ports to relieve this. When the ports are opened, all these agricultural lands get covered with water,' he said. The flooding has affected Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia, but he says the worst situation is in Albania.
- zdan, CNN iReport producerban of Shkoder, Albania, went up in a flood rescue helicopter yesterday as teams distributed food to isolated homes in the severely flooded city. He says it’s been raining for three weeks and it’s overflowing artificial lakes in the area. He estimates that about a quarter of the city is inundated. 'We have artificial lakes that run hydro power plants. These lakes are getting water in. The government has decided to open the security ports to relieve this. When the ports are opened, all these agricultural lands get covered with water,' he said. The flooding has affected Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia, but he says the worst situation is in Albania.
- zdan, CNN iReport producer

This is a really good example of how relying on made systems that disturb the environment, things are much more likely to fail. In this case, they were dependant on their man made lakes to supply the energy needs and when those flooded, they had no back up system to rely on. This all has to do with the country’s mitigation strategies and preparedness when it comes to hazards.