Bavaria Floods in the middle of Europe: the fear continues
The anxiety in the flood regions continues: in large parts of the huge disaster area from Romania and Poland to the Czech Republic and Austria, there are still miles of land under water.
17.09.2024, 04:12
SDA
Roads and fields are flooded, cellars and houses are full, dams and dykes have been partially destroyed. In Germany, people living along the Oder and Elbe rivers have to brace themselves for the torrent of water from tributaries in neighboring countries. Rainfall is expected to ease in some of the affected areas this Tuesday.
So far, at least 18 people have lost their lives in the devastating, days-long rain. In Austria, another body was discovered in the floods on Monday evening. It initially remained unclear whether the man, aged between 40 and 50, was also a victim of the floods. Numerous other people are missing.
City center looks like after a bomb explosion
In the small Polish town of Klodzko, around 100 kilometers south of Wroclaw, part of the pedestrian zone looked like it had been hit by a bomb explosion. Shop windows and doors in the stores on the first floor had been torn out. Inside, shelves were overturned and loose cables were hanging around. In Klodzko, the Glatzer Neisse, a tributary of the Oder, had burst its banks.
The small town of Nysa is located on the same river, where the water entered the emergency ward of the local district hospital, as reported by the PAP news agency. 33 patients were brought to safety in inflatable boats, including children and pregnant women. Local authorities ordered evacuations in Nysa and Paczkow. A crack had been discovered in the dam wall of a reservoir in the small town in south-western Poland. According to PAP, 4,900 soldiers were deployed to support the local authorities in the areas affected by the flooding.
Extensive support for victims announced
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also announced the provision of one billion zlotys (around 240 million euros) in aid for the flood victims in the south-west of the country. In Austria, according to Chancellor Karl Nehammer, 300 million euros are initially available from the disaster fund to repair the damage. The aid pot could be increased if necessary, it was said.
Dresden: Water level clearly too high
In Saxony, anxious eyes are focused on the Czech Republic and the Elbe. Water masses from the neighboring country are reaching Germany with a delay. In Dresden, the water level of the Elbe is already more than four times the normal level of 1.42 meters and is expected to exceed the six-meter mark during the course of the day. During the flood of the century in 2002, it was 9.40 meters.
Czech Republic deploys army in disaster area
The Czech government has decided to deploy the army in response to the flooding disaster. It is planned that up to 2,000 soldiers with appropriate equipment will support the civilian authorities until the end of October, as Defense Minister Jana Cernochova announced on X. Army helicopters are to supply people in the worst affected regions in the north-east of the Czech Republic with drinking water and food. Soldiers are also to help with the clean-up work after the floods.
Numerous rivers and streams have burst their banks in the Czech Republic following heavy rain. So far, three deaths have been confirmed and at least seven more people are missing. In Ostrava, the third largest city in the EU member state, dams burst at the confluence of the Oder and Opava rivers. In many places, stores and supermarkets are flooded, water and electricity supplies as well as mobile phone networks are down.
Concerns about dam breaches prevail in Austria
There is great concern about further dam bursts in eastern Austria. "There is a high risk of dam failure," said the authorities. More than 200 roads in Lower Austria were closed and 1,800 buildings were evacuated. There were also power outages. In Lower Austria, up to 370 liters of rain per square meter had fallen regionally in the past few days - several times the usual monthly amount.
There are still problems with public transport in Vienna. The Vienna River, which normally flows as a trickle but since Sunday has been a raging river through the middle of the city, has eased slightly.
Seven dead in Romania
In Romania, the east of the country is particularly affected. On Monday, the seventh victim was found in the eastern Romanian village of Grivita near the city of Galati, reported the Romanian news agency Mediafax, citing civil protection authorities. Around 6,000 farmhouses were hit by the floods, many of them in remote villages. People climbed onto the roofs of houses to avoid being swept away by the floods. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed.
