Yesterday, it was muddy, today, it's a clean street.

Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms hit the coastal city of Rijeka and its surrounding areas late Friday afternoon, causing widespread disruption. Among the most affected locations was Kumiciceva Street, where torrential rain overwhelmed drainage systems, leading to flooding and the accumulation of mud and debris on the road surface. The situation has since been resolved, with crews swiftly cleaning the area after the storm subsided. The incident occurred during a period of intense weather activity, which saw significantly higher than average rainfall levels recorded across parts of the region. In western districts of Rijeka, measured precipitation ranged between 24 and 60 liters per square meter over the course of Friday. However, in eastern parts of the city, including neighborhoods such as Bakar, Kukuljana, and Krasic, rainfall reached between 50 and 80 liters per square meter. In some areas of eastern Rijeka, the amount of rain exceeded 130 liters per square meter within a relatively short time frame. This extreme volume of water led to the overflow of manholes and the rapid flow of large quantities of water down roads, contributing to the flooding in Kumiciceva Street. Kumiciceva Street lies near a construction site associated with a major infrastructure project valued at €300 million, part of the Rijeka Agglomeration initiative. The work is being carried out by the Albanian company Gener2, which is also responsible for similar projects in Zvonimirova Street. Construction on the water supply and sewage network in Zvonimirova Street was originally scheduled to be completed three years ago but has faced delays and will likely extend into the next five months. The flooding in Kumiciceva Street resulted from the overflow of materials from excavated channels due to the inability of the drainage system to handle the sudden influx of water. Similar issues had previously arisen in September of last year, when heavy rains caused significant damage in Vukovarska Street, prompting the mayor, Iva Rinčić, to replace the head of the Water Supply and Sewage Company, Andrej Marochin. He was succeeded by Damir Togunjac, who currently holds the position. In response to questions regarding potential responsibility for the material washout in Kumiciceva Street, Togunjac stated that prior to the heavy rainfall, his deputy, Zoran Mamić, had sent an email to all contractors working on the Rijeka Agglomeration project. The message requested that they take necessary measures to minimize the washing away of excavation materials and prevent subsequent deposits on roadways. To support this claim, Togunjac provided a copy of the email he received from Mamić. According to Togunjac, immediately after the rain stopped falling, personnel and machinery were dispatched to the site. All the material brought onto the road by the flood was cleaned up very quickly. He also shared photographs of the street following the cleanup, along with a map showing the measured rainfall amounts across different parts of Rijeka and its eastern suburbs. The incident highlights the challenges posed by extreme weather conditions and the need for effective infrastructure management. While the immediate effects have been mitigated through prompt action, the long-term implications of such weather events on urban planning and public works remain under scrutiny. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, ensuring that preventive measures are implemented to avoid similar occurrences in the future.