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Central Europe floods: Rush to shore up flood defences amid deaths and evacuations [1]
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Date: 2024-09
'Catastrophe' as Central Europe deals with deadly floods
Watch: Helicopter and Jet Ski rescues as deadly floods hit Europe
A firefighter has died during a flood rescue in Austria and one person has drowned in Poland, as torrential rain caused by Storm Boris continues to wreak havoc across Central and Eastern Europe. In Romania five people have died, while several remain unaccounted for in the Czech Republic. The Austrian province surrounding Vienna has been declared a disaster area, with its leaders speaking of "an unprecedented extreme situation". Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk confirmed one death on Sunday as he urged stricken residents to cooperate with rescuers.
Getty Images Flooding has overwhelmed Slobozia Conachi in Romania
In the Czech Republic, four people remain missing - three in a car which disappeared into a river in North Moravia, and one man who was swept into a flooded stream in South Moravia. Marek Joch, a resident of Lipov in south Moravia said his town is "currently closed from all sides", adding the "next wave" of the flood is still to come. "Now everyone is trying to clean up as quickly as possible to prevent further large spills from the river, unfortunately, no one knows when the water will recede". "We still have to survive until Tuesday, this is not the end.” Evacuations are underway in Krnov, Opava and Cesky Tesi. Jesenik, a town located in the Jeseniky mountains, is described as completely cut off, with roads and rail lines underwater. Around 17,000 people in the Kłodzko area alone are without power, and internet and mobile telephone connections are down. Several dozen police and firefighters in Prague were called to rescue a man who went swimming in the flooded Vltava at 7am on Sunday. He was carried two kilometres downstream before ending up in reeds. On Saturday, police in North Moravia were called after three men were spotted wading into the flooded River Odra on paddleboards. They were ordered out of the river. Czech authorities have repeatedly appealed to people not to approach rivers.
Getty Authorities are warning people to stay away from swollen rivers
The mayor of Slobozia Conachi, a village in Romania's south-eastern Galati region, said 700 homes had been flooded. "This is a catastrophe of epic proportions," Emil Dragomir said. Four people were killed in Galati on Saturday, with a fifth dead confirmed on Sunday. In Austria, governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said a firefighter had died while pumping out a flooded cellar. She said the whole of the Lower Austria province has been declared a catastrophe zone. Trains between the capital Vienna and city of Linz have been cancelled, and the main A1 western motorway has flooded near the town of St Pölten. Parts of the Vienna underground have been closed, as the Wienfluss river levels rise. In a post on X, Austria‘s Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the storm situation had "worsened" and was "very serious."
EPA In Glucholazy, southern Poland, firefighters have been building sandbag barriers to protect residents near the river
In the polish town of Stonie Slaski, a dam has been breached, releasing a powerful torrent of water that has destroyed at least one house, the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management said. In the same town a bridge collapsed, funnelling water through the streets. "Soldiers supporting the local population are cut off from their land route back," the Polish Ministry of Defence said. "Many residents have to be evacuated from the roofs of their homes,” the ministry added. In Glucholazy, in Poland's southwestern Opole region, the mayor of the town said the local river had overflowed its banks and was now flooding the town. He appealed to residents to evacuate to higher ground on Sunday. A resident of the town, Zofia Owsiaka, said everyone was "scared" and there seemed to be "no hope of the rain stopping". In Krakow, Poland's second largest city, residents have been offered sandbags for flood protection. Speaking from the town of Klodzko, one of the worst affected areas in Lower Silesia near the Czech border, Mr Tusk said 1600 people in the district had been evacuated. He urged other residents to cooperate with the emergency services when asked to evacuate their homes. In the area, 17,000 people are without power, he said. In some locations, the mobile telephone signal is not working and the internet is down, so he said he had taken the decision to use Starlink satellites. He said a Blackhawk helicopter had been sent to the region’s capital, Wroclaw, where thousands of residents had to use the staircases of high-rise blocks because lifts were shut as a flood safety precaution, local media reported. On Sunday, the mayor of Klodzko announced that his town had "lost the battle" against the floods, and that the situation had become "critical".
EPA The flooded village of Krosnowice, southern Poland
Why has Storm Boris been so devastating?
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