Emergency workers in the Czech Republic and Poland struggled with flooding on Saturday, while Austria declared a number of areas disaster zones due to historic rainfall in Central Europe and meteorologists warned of worse conditions to come.
In the Czech Republic and Poland, the first villages were evacuated and in Austria, municipalities have been declared disaster areas.
At least four people have died in Romania due to flooding after heavy rainfall.
Emergency services in the Czech Republic, Poland and parts of Austria have been preparing for severe weather since Friday.
Heavy rainfall in the Czech Republic has caused the Elbe River to rise. The Czech weather service reported that as much as 170 millimeters of rain had fallen in the worst-affected areas in the past 24 hours.
Authorities have issued the highest flood warning level at about 35 locations, Czech news agency CTK reported.
More than 60,000 households are without power, CTK also reported, citing energy suppliers.
The northwestern administrative region of Usti nad Labem, bordering Germany, has been hit hardest. More than 20,000 households are temporarily experiencing power outages as trees have fallen onto power lines due to strong winds.
In Prague, preparations for the expected flooding of the Vltava River were in full swing, with flood barriers being erected along the banks. Shipping traffic has been halted.
A hospital in Brno evacuated 180 patients to other facilities, management said. Ambulance services and firefighters helped transport patients as the Svratka River continued to rise, flooding the basement where the power supply is located.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the Giant Mountains resort of Spindleruv Mlyn advised all tourists and visitors to leave the town, as the Elbe River threatens to burst its banks and the access road could be flooded.
More than 40 other monitoring stations in the country were also on the highest flood warning level. The areas around Jesenik in the Altvater Mountains in the east and Frydlant in northern Bohemia were the hardest hit.
Authorities have declared an emergency in the eastern Moravia-Silesia region and a water flow of 800 cubic meters per second was expected in Prague during the day.
Meteorologists warn that water levels in Czech rivers will continue to rise this weekend, with the peak expected in Prague on Sunday morning.
Poland hit by floods
Krakow, across the border in southwestern Poland, is also struggling with heavy rainfall. In 28 places, city officials offered people sandbags to protect their homes.
Public transport in Krakow was temporarily disrupted after several underpasses in the city centre were flooded. Trams and buses were also temporarily diverted.
In Jarnoltowek, near Mikulovice, meteorologists recorded 161.5 millimeters of rainfall, prompting the mayor to order the evacuation of the village and two other communities along the Zloty Polok River.
About 400 residents of the nearby village of Glucholazy also had to be evacuated. Interior Minister Tomasz Simoniak visited the scene of the accident and posted photos of rescue efforts on X.
According to him, about 100 firefighters and 60 police officers were sent to the village.
“The situation has come to a head in a few minutes. We really don’t have much time,” Simoniak warned after a meeting of the crisis management team in Nysa. “The next 24 to 36 hours will be the most difficult.”
A number of residents of the village of Morow also had to be evacuated because the Mora River burst its banks there. The fire department responded to a total of 400 calls in the region.
Since Friday morning, more rain has fallen in southwestern Poland than during the so-called Millennium Flood of 1997. The warning level has been exceeded at 47 measuring stations in the country.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on citizens in the evening to get to safety in time.
Once-in-a-century floods expected in Austria
Austrian emergency services have declared 12 municipalities disaster areas due to persistent heavy rainfall.
In the Waldviertel region, about 120 kilometers northwest of Vienna, floods are expected that normally only occur once a century.
“The next few hours will be a moment of truth for flood protection and a huge test for our emergency services and many of our fellow citizens,” said Lower Austrian Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner. “Especially in the Waldviertel region, we expect challenges of historic proportions.”
Emergency services are preparing to evacuate people to a safe place as a precaution, amid fears that the Ottenstein reservoir could overflow. If it did, it would cause significant flooding along the Kamp, a tributary of the Danube.
The rainfall has left the ground completely saturated, while the area is also suffering from heavy gusts of wind.
Parts of eastern and southern Germany have also been hit by heavy rainfall. The German Meteorological Service predicts more storms to follow.
