Clean up operation in flood-ravaged Karlin

More than 1,000 Prague residents wearing hygiene masks and rubber gloves were allowed to return briefly to their homes in the flood-ravaged Karlin district on Wednesday. They queued up for hours to be allowed entry into the off-limits district where two chemical defense units are eliminating possible sources of infection such as rotting meat and dead animals. Children and vehicles were forbidden for fear of disease bacteria and undermined roads. Experts assessing the state of the water-damaged buildings in Karlin have ascertained that 40 of them sustained serious structural damage. The houses bear crosses and are slated for demolition.