Live blog about floods: ++ Dam breaks in Poland ++

A dam has burst in southwestern Poland. Authorities in Lower Austria expect the Ottenstein reservoir to overflow this afternoon. All developments on our live blog.

Heavy rains have caused a dam to burst in southwestern Poland. After the structure collapsed in Stronie Slaskie in Lower Silesia, the water is now flowing down the Biala Ladecka river towards the Glatzer Neisse region, the Meteorological Institute reported to X.

They said it poses a serious threat to the area along the river. Police have dispatched a rescue helicopter to the scene to safely rescue those trapped in the water. Soldiers from the Army and Department of Homeland Security are also deployed.

The death toll from floods in Romania has risen to five. Another person has died in floods in the southeastern Galati region, rescuers said. The victim died in the Slobozia town of Conachi.

At least four people were killed in the same area on Saturday, where people were found floating in the water.

Dresden’s old town is protected from flooding by a mobile protective wall. According to the current water level forecast, construction work is planned for Monday morning, as announced by the Saxon state government. This is to prevent water from flowing over the terrace embankment into the old town. If the water level reaches 5.50 meters earlier, work will start earlier. At noon, the water level was 4.56 meters.

From a water level of around 6 m, the flood gates Weißeritzstrasse and Ostra-Ufer, which protect the old town, begin to close.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala appealed to citizens to follow the instructions of emergency services in light of the flooding and flooding. Some people refused to follow evacuation orders and left their apartments or homes.

“By doing so, they are putting not only themselves at risk, but also those who have to try to save them when the situation changes dramatically,” Fiala told public television CT. Anyone who believes that precautions are unnecessary is mistaken.

In Lower Austria, emergency workers are looking closely at the dam wall of the Ottenstein power plant on the Kamp River. The crisis management team expects the reservoir to overflow in the afternoon due to the continuing rain. Floods are expected in Kamptal. “The situation will definitely worsen again this afternoon,” Martin Falk, the mayor of Gars am Kamp, warned on oe24 channel. Around 151 people have been evacuated from the village of around 300 inhabitants.

While the flood situation in Germany remains relatively mild, neighboring countries including Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic are still battling flood damage caused by heavy rains. Two people have died and two more are missing. Authorities have declared the entire Lower Austria a disaster area.