BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The European Union will offer Slovakia aid from its Solidarity Fund after high winds devastated large sections of forest in the Tatra Mountains.
The offer was made by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso during a meeting with Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic in Brussels, Slovak Radio reported Wednesday.
Winds gusting up to 100 miles an hour last weekend destroyed 30,000 acres of forest in one of central Europe's most beautiful regions. Another 30,000 acres of forest were seriously damaged.
The government decided Monday to deploy army units to help clear up the devastation. The storms killed a Czech tourist and injured dozens of others.
The devastation is a potential catastrophe for Slovakia's tourist industry. Environmentalists also say large areas inhabited by bears, wolves and other wild animals have been destroyed.
Slovakia joined the European Union on May 1 this year.
