NATO has come to the rescue of Albania amid floods, the worst ever the small western Balkan country has witnessed in decades, local media said on Monday.

NATO member states Greece and Turkey have sent five military transport helicopters to Albania to help the army and local authorities with the relief efforts.

On Monday, Italy also delivered 25 tonnes of food and clothing to Albania after the country's Prime Minister Sali Berisha appealed to NATO for help.

Berisha said 12,000 people in the worst-hit district of Shkodra have been evacuated, but thousands more are still stranded by surrounding water.

"The rescue operation is complex, and the situation is critical," Berisha said.

Heavy rains in recent days and water discharged from reservoirs upstream along the Drin river have wreaked a havoc in the district of Shkodra, about 120 kilometers northwestern of capital Tirana.

Thousands of hectares of farmlands along the Shkodra Lake have been inundated. In the city center of Shkodra, parts of streets have been turned into water canals. Residents were able to reach their homes only by boat.