Storms continue to cause massive flooding in Poland and the Czech Republic. The flood situation is worsening in Lower Austria, where a firefighter died while pumping water. At least six people have died in the southeastern EU country of Romania due to heavy rain and flooding. One person has also died in Poland. And people in East Saxony will also have to brace for rising river levels in the coming days.
The situation is particularly dramatic in the Czech city of Krnov, which is almost completely underwater. According to the CTK agency, Deputy Mayor Miroslav Vinar said that about 70 to 80 percent of the city area is underwater. It is too late to evacuate.
The municipalities are no longer able to organize help for their citizens. Therefore, we are in contact with the higher administrative districts of Moravia-Silesia. The situation is worse than during the floods of 1997.
Floods of the Century at Dozens of Observatories
The Opava and Opavice rivers meet in Krnov, a town of nearly 23,000 inhabitants, about 240 km east of Prague. Helicopters were used to rescue people in distress from the air.
The situation was also serious in several other eastern regions, including Opava and Ostrava. The highest flood warning was issued at more than 120 water level stations across the country. The flood of the century was even reported at more than 50 stations.
The Prague government wants to meet on Monday to decide on special financial support for the victims. Czech President Petr Pavel has called for donations for flood victims. He noted that the hardest-hit areas, such as Jesenik in the Jeseníky Mountains and Friedland in northern Bohemia, are among the poorest in the country.
Emergency services are travelling by boat from Poland.
The situation in the small village of Klodzko has worsened after a dam collapsed in the Snow Mountains on the border of Poland and the Czech Republic. Mayor Michal Piszko told the PAP news agency that a new tidal wave had reached the village. The water level in the Glatzer Neisse, a tributary of the Oder, is currently 6.84 metres near Klodzko. A fire brigade spokesman told the German news agency that the average water level is around one metre.
The water level in some streets of the city was 1.5 metres, the mayor said. Polish mountaineers were moving in boats to rescue civilians who had escaped from the water and taken refuge on the second and third floors of their houses. The town of 26,000, 100km south of Breslau (Wroclaw), has no more water supply. The mayor said the gas would soon be cut off. According to police, a man was killed in the village of Krosnovice, not far from Klodzko. Police were unable to rescue him because the area was flooded.
In Stronie Slaskie in Lower Silesia a dam burst. Now the water flows from there across the Biala Ladecka river to Glatzer Neisse.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has pledged financial aid to flood-affected citizens. Tusk wrote to X that his government will also apply for EU support.
“Exceptional circumstances” in Lower Austria
There is no relief in sight for many flooded areas in Austria. On the contrary, “the situation in Lower Austria is getting worse,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer after a meeting of the National Crisis Team. He promised money from the disaster fund. The federal state around Vienna has suffered the most flood damage ever and has been declared a full disaster area.
“This is an exceptional situation, something we have never experienced before,” said Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the premier of Lower Austria. She hoped that the rain would stop on Monday night and “there would be a little bit of relief.”
In the Ottenstein reservoir in Lower Austria, water is being released in a controlled manner through flood flaps to prevent a sudden surge. Nevertheless, the dramatic flood situation has become even worse as water is added to the already swollen Kamp River downstream. In some communities, streets around the camp are already flooded. Residents and thousands of volunteers are trying to protect their homes with sandbag walls.
The mayor of the capital Vienna, Michael Ludwig, assured that “the situation is generally well under control.” The situation on the main river, the Danube, is stable. However, in the Vienna River, where the current has changed from a gentle stream to a raging torrent, the flooding is statistically expected to occur only once in a century.
Some walking and cycling paths were flooded, and subway service was suspended in some areas. Ludwig said six people were injured, mostly from falling tree branches. There were no deaths. At the Kennedy Bridge on the Vienna River, water levels rose from 50 centimeters to 2.26 meters in one day.
More rain was expected on Monday. Ludwig said this was likely to affect the Vienna River, as it has many tributaries in other flood zones. Flood basins along the river were full.
Deaths due to Romanian floods
At least six people have died in Romania, a southeastern EU country, due to heavy rains and severe flooding. News portal ‘hotnews.ro’ reported, citing the Interior Ministry, that two people were also missing in the eastern Moldovan region of Galati.
The report said that waters reached up to 1.7 meters high, mostly in remote villages. People climbed onto rooftops to avoid being swept away by the floodwaters. Hundreds of firefighters were on duty. The storm was triggered by Cyclone Boris, which hit the Adriatic Sea just three days ago and caused flooding in Croatia in particular.
Water levels continue to rise in East Saxony.
In East Saxony, people should be prepared for rising river levels in the coming days. According to the city of Dresden, the water level in the Elbe rose to 5.01 metres early this evening (6 p.m.). Alert level 2 has been declared. The guideline value for alert level 3 (6.00 metres) is expected to be reached on Monday afternoon. For comparison: The normal water level on the Elbe on the Dresden gauge is around 2 metres. The highest level during the flood of the century in 2002 was 9.40 metres.
According to the city, the partially collapsed Carola Bridge is also contributing to the flood situation. The water level in some parts of the Elbe River is rising due to the underwater part of the bridge, which is causing the water level in some parts of the Elbe River to rise by about 30 to 50 centimeters. The peak flooding of the Elbe River is expected in the middle of this week.
According to the State Flood Center, the Görlitz gauge in Lusatian Neisse has also reached the guideline level of alert level 2. Exceeding the threshold for alert level 3 cannot be ruled out. Alert level 2 means that flooding is possible above all in green areas, while level 3 means that flooding is also possible in built-up areas.
The flood situation in Bavaria remains tense for the time being. However, the Bavarian Flood Information Office (HND) predicts that it will probably not get any worse than it is now. Rain is expected to continue until Tuesday, especially in the south and southeast.
Due to global warming, abnormal weather events such as floods are occurring more frequently in many areas.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240914-930-232689/7
