Final Word from Friday, September 6, 2002
Prague city hall has decided to keep most of the city's bridges closed, perhaps for months, although they're in good shape. A reader, Henry Danziger, said this is uglier news than any efforts by companies to take undue credit for relief work. He fears consumers will permanently change their behavior, preventing the center from returning to normal business later. Gary Wright of Toni & Guy Hairdressing on Dlouhá said it was a nightmare at first to get approval to go to the damage site to do repairs. But it's better now, and he doesn't expect the traffic restrictions to have a permanent effect. Martin Stransky, a publisher and physician, said the city has done a poor job of informing the public and taking steps to return to normal. He fears that because of this, post-flood losses to tourism and business could be higher than the flood losses themselves.