Floods that gripped Romania for weeks have caused more than 400 million euros (517 million dollars) in damage, the Interfax news agency quoted Prime Minister Emil Boc as saying Sunday during a video conference call with regional leaders, dpa reported.
The Romanian government is considering whether to request approval from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to increase its budget deficit given the devastation, Transport Minister Radu Berceanu said.
Romania, which was pummelled by the global financial crisis, is dependent on loans from the IMF, which has tied the transfer of funds to the country's budgetary policies.
Bringing the deficit up to 7 per cent of gross domestic product would generate 250 million euros that Romania could use for reconstruction in the flooded areas, Berceanu said.
The unofficial 400-million-euro figure was based on damage assessments in 90 per cent of the regions affected by the floods, which also killed 23 people.
The damage has yet to be completely recorded, but it is already clear that at least 1,033 water-damaged houses will have to be rebuilt because they have collapsed or are about to, Boc said.
A total of 6,979 homes were flooded across the country.
Boc said the government would provide building materials to those affected.
He also called on the leaders of the country's 41 districts not to issue any new permits for construction in flood-prone areas. Observers said that may prove difficult, as properties that are safe from flooding would not be available everywhere.
The rising water had washed away century-old farmhouses - but also new structures - that experts say were built too close to rivers.