Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

KYIV, Mar. 13 (AP) - Tons of humanitarian aid arrived in western Ukraine's flood-damaged Zakarpatia region Tuesday as emergency workers labored to help residents left homeless and to restore services.

As of early Tuesday, more than 33,200 houses in 245 settlements were flooded and more than 12,000 people had been evacuated, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Emergency teams continued to strengthen dikes and banks of the Tisza River, as well as restore roads, railway communications, gas and electricity supply, it said.

More than 100 tons of emergency aid have arrived from Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Hungary and Switzerland, said Ihor Hrushko, a spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, according to the Interfax news agency.

Meanwhile, 30 Russian trucks with about 150 tons of foodstuffs and 2,000 blankets and two convoys of humanitarian aid from the Red Cross are expected to arrive to Zakarpatia, he said.

The flooding began after melting snow and heavy rains caused the Tisza River to overflow, affecting Ukraine, Hungary and Romania. Although water levels broke records, the floods caused less damage than major flooding in 1998 because dikes had been improved in the interim.

The Tisza reached an all-time high last weekend, but then began to fall. Other rivers in the region also had receded to normal levels by Tuesday, emergency officials said.