Central Europe was hit by massive flooding on Sunday as rivers in Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic burst their banks in historic downpours.
The region has experienced unprecedented rainfall in recent days, leading to severe flooding that has claimed many lives and caused major disruptions to electricity, gas and transportation systems.
The eastern Czech city of Krnov, on the border with Poland, is particularly worrying. According to deputy mayor Miroslav Binar, as much as 80% of its territory is under water.
Helicopters were deployed to rescue stranded residents of the city, which is located at the confluence of the Opava and Opavice rivers.
The highest flood warning level was in effect at more than 120 stations across the country, with dozens reporting once-in-a-century floodwater rises.
In some areas the situation is worse than during the unprecedented floods of 1997.
The Czech government is meeting in Prague on Monday to discuss financial aid for those affected. President Petr Pavel called for donations for the victims.
Earlier, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala had called on citizens to follow the instructions of the emergency services, noting that some people are refusing to follow evacuation orders and leave their homes.
“In doing so, they not only endanger themselves, but also the people who have to rescue them if the situation becomes dramatic,” he said on public broadcaster CT.
“We must take into account that the worst is not over yet,” he warned.
In the city of Opava and other border areas near Poland, thousands of people had to be evacuated from their homes as entire communities were flooded. A mudslide cut off the mountain village of Malá Úpa from the outside world.
More than 250,000 Czech households were without electricity, the CTK agency reported, citing energy suppliers. Rain had softened the ground, causing numerous trees to fall onto overhead power lines and high-voltage transmission lines.
‘Dramatic’ situation in Poland
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the country’s first fatality from flooding during an emergency briefing in the town of Kłodzko, near the Czech border.
Tusk called the situation in southwestern Poland “drastic” and urged residents to follow local evacuation orders.
The water level of the river Nysa Kłodzka in Kłodzko was 6.84 meters on Sunday afternoon. The average water level is 1 meter.
The city was hit by a second wave of flooding on Sunday after a dam in the region broke, Mayor Michal Piszko told PAP news agency.
In some streets the water was 1.5 meters high, the mayor said.
Polish army troops rescued residents in boats from the second or third floors of their homes.
According to police, the fatal victim was a man whose house was flooded in the village of Krosnovice, not far from Kłodzko.
Tusk said 1,600 people in the Kłodzko district have been brought to safety so far and he expects further evacuations.
Parts of the worst-hit areas have experienced power outages, mobile communications networks, water supplies have been cut off and gas is also expected to be cut off.
Vienna sees flooding as Lower Austria remains underwater
Tense scenes also took place in Austria, where a firefighter died while working in a flood-hit building in the state of Lower Austria, around the capital Vienna.
“The situation in Lower Austria continues to deteriorate,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Sunday afternoon after a meeting of the national crisis team.
The state was declared a disaster area after water levels in several rivers rose dramatically.
“We are going through difficult and dramatic times in Lower Austria,” said Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner.
“For many people in Lower Austria, these will be the hardest hours of their lives,” she added. “We will do everything we can to hold back the water and protect the country and its people.”
The Austrian capital was also hit by days of persistent rainfall, partially shutting down two metro lines.
The water level in the Vienna River at the Kennedy Bridge in western Vienna has risen from 50 centimetres to 2.26 metres in one day, emergency services said.
Walking and cycling paths are flooded and the terraces of restaurants on the banks of the river are under water.
In the suburb of Penzing, northwest of Vienna, the River Wien burst its banks in some places. Houses were evacuated while streets and an underground parking garage were flooded.
Power was interrupted in three districts of Vienna. The electricity supplier promised to restore service as soon as possible.
As the day progressed, the rain eased somewhat, allowing Mayor Michael Ludwig to reassure the public: “Overall, we have the situation well under control.”
In some communities north of Vienna, the fire brigade had to rescue people trapped in their homes at night. In some places, rubber boats were used for this.
On Saturday, authorities said at least five people had died in eastern Romania after the Eastern European country was hit by heavy rainfall.
There was also disruption to rail traffic in several countries. The Austrian railway company ÖBB suspended rail traffic on a line south of the Danube.
Cross-border train connections between Poland and the Czech Republic have also been suspended.
