The flood situation in the southwest, especially in the cities of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship located on the Nysa Kłodzka and Prudnik rivers, began to deteriorate rapidly on Saturday afternoon.
Some television news stations still broadcast the PiS rally in Warsaw, however in the evening, the flood became the dominant topic. Special editions began to air, as a result TVN24 did not broadcast “Superwizjer” and TVP info did not broadcast “100 questions for …”.
In addition to the correspondents present in the region, major broadcasters sent additional reporters there.
TVP Info and TV Republika reported the flood situation overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
On Sunday, the broadcasters showed some of their regular news series, mainly in the morning and afternoon (e.g. “Woronicza 17” and “Redakcja” on TVP Info, “Śniadanie Rymanowskiego” on Polsat News and Interia). However, much of the discussion concerned the flood situation and half the screen showed images of flooded areas.
TVN24 transferred the broadcast of “Kawa na ława” and “Press Box” to TVN24 BiS, while continuing to broadcast the special edition on the main channel. In the afternoon, Republika broadcast an interview with Andrzej Duda on the occasion of the harvest festival.
In the afternoon and evening, other programs unrelated to the country’s situation were removed from the schedule.: TVP Info did not show the premiere episode of the series “Oko in Europe”, and Republika – “Interview with a hooligan”.
Flood situation also reported by major radio stations. Polish Radio introduced joint “Flood Reports” on its three channels: Jedynka, Trójka and PR24. RMF FM “Fakty” started broadcasting every half hour.
Republika and wPolsce24: Tusk’s services can’t cope
Strong political lines in the coverage of flood situations appeared on Republika and wPolsce24 TV. At the first station, the “beam” read: “The Czech Republic offers help to Poland. Tusk’s services cannot cope with heavy rains”, “The Czechs managed to cope with the floods, Poland is sinking” and “Self-evacuation of residents is underway. The services were not prepared for rescue operations.”
There was also neutral information, for example “Floods, evacuations, states of alarm. Tragedies of the inhabitants of Lower Silesia”, “Two people died due to floods in Poland”, “The bridge in Głuchołazy was destroyed by the pressure of the water”, “Dramatic flood situation in the south of Poland”. Some guests from the Republic, however, did not mince words.
In turn, Polish television mainly hosted politicians from the United Right and publicists associated with “Networks” and wPolityka, who strongly criticized the actions of the ruling camp regarding the flood situation.
Floods in southern Poland: situation on Sunday evening
There is a critical flood situation in Nysa, in Kłodzko residents have no water in their taps and gas has to be cut off. The flooded towns are closing kindergartens, schools and courts. The government is preparing financial aid for the affected people and intends to introduce a state of natural disaster. There are two fatalities.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sunday after 18. that Mr.in consultation with the competent ministers and services, ordered the preparation of a regulation of the Council of Ministers on the introduction of the state of natural disaster.
There are two deaths caused by the flood. This is a man from Krosnowice in the Kłodzko district and a 42-year-old man from Bielsko-Biała, whose body was found near a stream. The cause of his death was probably drowning.
The situation is critical in Nysa. After the increase in water discharge from Lake Nysa to Nysa Kłodzka, water is flooding the city streets. According to reports on social media, water also entered the Nysa district hospital on Sunday afternoon. Both bridges are impassable and, according to local media, the city is “cut off from the world”. The mayor of Nysa has called on residents to self-evacuate. In a special announcement, he explained that due to the dam burst in Ustronie Śląskie, the water discharge from Lake Nysa will increase from 600 to 1,000 cubic meters of water per second.
In Kłodzko, after the dam burst on Stronie Śląskie, the flood wave flows through the Biała Lądecka River and flows into Nysa Kłodzka, The water level in Kłodzko has risen rapidly. Water is rising in other parts of the heavily flooded city. “The only thing left for us is rescue operations,” Michał Piszko, the mayor of Kłodzko, told PAP. There is no water in the city’s taps and the gas will likely be cut off within a few hours.
The depth of water in the flooded areas in the center of Kłodzko ranges from 50 cm to 1.5 meters. “The water has spilled over the embankments on Malczewskiego Street. There is already more than 1.5 meters of water there. Residents who did not want to evacuate tonight are on the second or third floors of buildings. The water is coming in and flooding individual parts of the city,” the mayor said. In some places there is up to 2 meters of water in the city, and the water meter in Nysa Kłodzka in Kłodzko shows 684 cm.
In the Kłodzko Valley and Stronie Śląskie, helicopters are evacuating people – these are currently the places that need the most support – said Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. TVN24 reported that the water flowing through Stronie Śląskie destroyed the building of the local police station.
Stronie Śląskie and Lądek Zdrój are virtually inaccessible; only emergency services can reach them. Among the operating hydrotechnical facilities, the Jarnołtówek reservoir (in the municipality of Głuchołazy, Opole Voivodeship) is currently the cause of greatest concern.
There will be financial assistance for the injured
Education Minister Barbara Nowacka wrote on social media on Sunday that she is in contact with education superintendents, who, in cooperation with voivodes, “are monitoring the situation in schools and educational institutions. Together, they are making decisions about suspending classes in the coming days,” she said.
The education boards of Lower Silesia and Opole have called for the safety of students and school staff. Authorities in other localities in the disaster-hit areas are deciding to suspend classes in schools, kindergartens and nurseries. In Jelenia Góra, they will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as will all schools in the Nysa district. The facilities in Kłodzko will be closed until further notice.
Hearings and sessions scheduled for Monday in the district courts of Nysa, Prudnik and Kłodzko have also been cancelled, said Karolina Wasilewska, press secretary for Justice Minister Adam Bodnar.
The government is preparing financial assistance for those affected. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ordered the Finance Minister to prepare funds for emergency aid and to eliminate the effects of the floods. The payment of benefits will be coordinated by the voivodes, and will be paid by the municipalities.
“Just yesterday you were obliged by me to ensure the payment of benefits in the quickest and simplest way possible,” Interior and Administration Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Sunday in Katowice. Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the Interior and Administration Ministry, told PAP on Sunday that information on the detailed rules for the payment of benefits was still pending.
Government and service representatives have repeatedly appealed to residents of threatened areas to consent to evacuation. Due to the breach of the embankment in Jarnołtówek, firefighters have issued an appeal to the residents of Moszczanka and Łąka Prudnicka to also evacuate the residents of Pokrzywna, Jarnołtówek and parts of Prudnik;
Tomasz Siemoniak said on Sunday that “an unreasonable number of people refuse to evacuate.” He assured that the police would protect the property left behind. This should happen, among other things: using patrols to monitor the situation from the air.
The Lower Silesian organization Ekostraż noted that the water flooded not only homes, but also shelters and animal rehabilitation centers. It urged people not to forget about animals during the evacuation. “Don’t leave them to the elements! Tell your neighbors to release their dogs, take them out of their enclosures and evacuate them too,” its representatives wrote in a statement released on Sunday. Wild animals are also at risk, including hedgehogs.
The flood was caused by the Genoese low pressure
Other countries within the Genoese minimum range are also struggling with this element. The flood situation in Austria is becoming more and more difficult by the hour. Experts predict that heavy rain and snow will last at least until Monday or Tuesday. In some places, up to 200 mm of rain is expected to fall per day.
A fifth flood victim was found in Romania on Sunday. The fight against the effects of the element continues. The disaster has affected more than 20,000 people. residents of the Galatsky district – the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations reported.
In the Czech Republic, houses in flooded areas began to collapse under the pressure of the water. More than 10,500 residents of threatened areas were evacuated across the country.
