Floods in Eastern and Central Europe: “A very dramatic situation”

After days of continuous rain, the flood situation is not only Austriabut also in other Eastern and Central European countries. At least six people have died in the floods by Sunday afternoon, and thousands have had to leave their homes. An overview of the situation:

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Petr Fiala appealed to citizens to follow the instructions of the emergency services. Some people refused to leave their apartments or houses. “By doing so, you are not only endangering yourself, but also the people who will then have to try to save you if things get dramatic,” Fiala told the television station CT. Anyone who believes that the preventive measures are unnecessary is mistaken.

In Opava on the border with Poland, the fire brigade had to use boats to rescue those left behind in a flooded housing estate. Elsewhere, people waited on roofs for help. At least four people were reported missing on Sunday. “We have to accept that the worst is not yet behind us,” warned Fiala.

Poland

In the southwest of Poland Meanwhile, a dam brokeAfter the structure in Stronie Slaskie in Lower Silesia gave way, the water is flowing down the Biala Lądecka river and is heading towards the area of ​​the Kłodzko Neisse, the Meteorological Institute announced on Platform X. It is a “serious threat”. The police have sent a rescue helicopter to the area, and soldiers are also deployed.

In the particularly affected district of Klodzko, one person drowned in the floods, around 17,000 households were without electricity, and 1,600 residents were evacuated. The mayor also ordered evacuations in the historic town of Glucholazy in the neighboring administrative district of Opole. Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke of a “very dramatic situation.”

Romania

In Romania, at least four people died in the southeastern region of Galati, according to the civil protection agency. Among the dead were two women, aged 96 and 86. In initial reports, the authorities had spoken of five deaths. But as it turned out, an elderly man had already died of natural causes in his house before the flood. The floods had washed away his body.

The water masses reached a height of up to 1.7 meters in the affected towns. People climbed onto roofs to avoid being swept away. The rescue workers assume that many elderly people who are restricted in their freedom of movement are still stuck in their homes.

Hungary

Record water levels are expected in Hungary next week, but Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony said they were prepared to deal with it.

Saxony

Preparations are also underway in the German state of Saxony for the further rise in water levels. Dresden’s old town is to be shielded by mobile protective walls, which are to be erected on Monday morning. When the water level reaches around six metres, the flood protection gates at Weisseritzstrasse and Ostra-Ufer, which also protect the old town, will be closed.

The demolition of the partially collapsed Carola Bridge is making progress. The first clearing work on the Neustadt Elbe bank was completed on Saturday evening. According to the Dresden Environmental Office, the cleared bank area is important in order to give the current an opportunity to avoid the bridge parts that are still in the water during flooding.

Amid all the flood news, there was also a glimmer of hope: In the south and southeast of Germany, as well as in Poland and the Czech Republic, it is expected to continue raining on Monday, but at least in western Germany the sun will peek out from between the cumulus clouds. On Tuesday, the rain will also ease in southern Germany.

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