Power supplies disrupted by storms

Electricity companies have said that power supplies in eastern Bohemia have been seriously disrupted by storm damage. A spokesperson for the Czech Republic's biggest electricity company CEZ said on Friday that there had been hundreds of power cuts throughout the region as a result of the tempestuous weather. Power supplies have also been disrupted in central Bohemia and southern Moravia, but normal service should be resumed by Friday evening. Meanwhile one of the country's biggest insurance firms Ceska pojistovna says it has received more than 500 insurance claims in the wake of the storm. It estimates the damages involved to be in the region of 50 million Czech crowns (2.4 million US dollars).