The fear in the flood areas continues: In large parts of the huge disaster area from Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, land is still under water for miles. Streets and fields are flooded, cellars and houses are flooded, dams and dikes are partially destroyed. In Germany, people along the Oder and Elbe must prepare for the water rush from tributaries in neighboring countries. This Tuesday, rainfall is expected to decrease in some of the affected areas.
So far, at least 18 people have died in the devastating rain that lasted for days. In Austria, another body was discovered in the floods on Monday evening. It was initially unclear whether the man, aged around 40 to 50, was also a flood victim. 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. Shop windows and doors had been torn out of the ground floor shops. Inside, shelves had fallen over and loose cables were hanging around. In Klodzko, the Kłodzko Neisse, a tributary of the Oder, had overflowed its banks.
The small town of Nysa is located on the same river, where the water entered the emergency room of the local district hospital, the PAP news agency reported. 33 patients were brought to safety in rubber dinghies, including children and pregnant women. Local authorities ordered evacuations in Nysa and Paczkow. A crack in the dam wall of a reservoir was discovered in the small town in southwest Poland. According to PAP, 4,900 soldiers were deployed to support local authorities in the flood-affected areas.
Extensive support for victims announced
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also announced that aid funds of one billion zloty (around 240 million euros) would be made available for flood victims in the south-west of the country. In Austria, according to Chancellor Karl Nehammer, an initial amount of 300 million euros is available from the disaster fund to repair the damage. The aid fund could be increased if necessary, it was said.
Dresden: Water level clearly too high
In Saxony, anxious eyes are turned to 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 higher than the normal level there of 1.42 meters, and during the course of the day it was expected to exceed the six-meter mark. During the flood of the century in 2002, it was 9.40 meters.
Czech Republic deploys army in disaster area
The government in the Czech Republic decided to deploy the army because of the flooding disaster. It is planned that up to 2,000 soldiers with the appropriate technology will support the civil authorities until the end of October, as Defense Minister Jana Cernochova announced on X. Army helicopters will supply people in the most affected regions in the north-east of the Czech Republic with drinking water and food. Soldiers will also help with the clean-up work after the flood.
After heavy rain, numerous rivers and streams in the Czech Republic have overflowed their banks. So far, three deaths have been confirmed and at least seven other people are missing. In Ostrava, the EU member state’s third-largest city, dams burst at the confluence of the Oder and Opava. In many places, shops and supermarkets are flooded, and water and electricity supplies and mobile phone networks are down.
There is concern about dam breaks in Austria
In eastern Austria there is great concern about further dam breaks. “There is a high risk of dam breaks,” said the authorities. More than 200 roads in Lower Austria were closed and 1,800 buildings evacuated. There were also power outages. In Lower Austria, up to 370 liters of rain per square meter had fallen in recent days – several times the usual monthly amount.
There are still problems with public transport in Vienna. There has been some relief on the Vienna River, which normally flows as a trickle but has been a raging river since Sunday through the middle of the city.
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 the civil protection agency. Around 6,000 farmhouses were affected by the floods, many of which are located in remote villages. People climbed onto roofs to avoid being swept away by the floods. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed.
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