Floods across central Europe leave 10 dead, major cities on alert as Polish govt mulls state of disaster

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - A view of damaged houses, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024. — Reuters pic

PRAGUE, Sept 16 — More rivers in central Europe spilled their banks today in flooding that has killed at least 10 people from Poland to Romania and left many towns submerged or hit by gushing, debris-filled waters after days of heavy rainfalls.

Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were hit hard over the weekend. Some bridges collapsed and homes were destroyed, while villages and towns in eastern Romania were submerged.

Poland’s government was due to meet this morning to call a state of disaster.

While rivers in the Czech-Polish border area were starting to recede today, flooding was widening to more parts and leaving bigger cities in both countries on alert.

In the Czech Republic, a rising Morava River overnight put Litovel, a city 230km east of the capital Prague with a population of nearly 10,000, around 70 per cent under water and shut down schools and health facilities, its mayor said in a video on Facebook.

Flooded parts of north-eastern Czech regional capital Ostrava forced closures of a power plant supplying heat and hot water to the city as well as two chemical plants.

More than 12,000 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said yesterday evening on X as he called an extraordinary government session for today.

Czech Television reported the first confirmed victim today, adding to casualties across the region.

In Romania, the flooding killed six people over the weekend, and an Austrian firefighter died yesterday. A man drowned in Poland yesterday. Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak said he had information on a second death, which Reuters could not immediately verify.

Danube also rises

Polish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Czeslaw Mroczek told Polish Radio today that thousands of firefighters, police officers and soldier had battled floods in the past 24 hours while the government was still working to determine the scale of damage.

“The government, as announced, will make a decision to introduce a state of natural disaster... We are consulting with local governors,” he said.

Slovakia’s capital Bratislava and Hungarian capital Budapest were both preparing as the River Danube rose.

In Austria, the levels of rivers and reservoirs fell overnight as rain eased but officials said they were bracing for a second wave as heavier rain was expected in the coming hours.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a message on X, sent words of solidarity to those affected by flooding and she said the EU would provide support. — Reuters