At the very least 15 folks have now died in flooding attributable to Storm Boris in central and japanese Europe, with many international locations bracing for extra torrential rain.
The flooding has been the worst central Europe has seen in no less than twenty years, authorities mentioned on Monday.
Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland have been particularly hit exhausting over the weekend, with surging water ranges resulting in collapsed bridges and broken vehicles and homes.
The variety of flood victims in southwestern Poland rose to 5 after the physique of a surgeon getting back from hospital responsibility was discovered within the city of Nysa on Monday morning, firefighters mentioned.
Earlier, the our bodies of two ladies and two males have been discovered within the cities of Bielsko-Biala and Ladek-Zdroj, and in two villages.
Police within the Czech Republic mentioned that one lady drowned within the northeast, which has been pounded by report rainfall since Thursday. Seven different folks have been lacking on Monday, up from 4 a day earlier.
In the meantime, in Romania, the flooding killed no less than six folks over the weekend, and in Austria, a firefighter died on Sunday. Within the state of Decrease Austria that surrounds Vienna, two males aged 70 and 80 have been additionally discovered drowned of their properties, a police spokesperson mentioned on Monday.
Tv footage on Monday confirmed streets within the Polish area of Klodzko strewn with particles and dirt. Within the Polish city of Nysa, a hospital was evacuated, with sufferers together with pregnant ladies and aged folks taken away in rafts. Many Polish cities, together with Warsaw, have referred to as for meals donations for flood survivors.
Reporting from Klodzko, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig mentioned that the state of affairs within the city was devastating.
“When the floods got here by this historic city, it wreaked havoc … persons are attempting to salvage what they’ll … persons are interesting for assist. They need meals, garments and electrical energy,” he mentioned.
He mentioned folks have been placing sandbags within the streets and in entrance of their homes in preparation for extra floods.
“However it’s tough to arrange. When the primary [flood] wave hit, it was very excessive and there was no warning,” Baig mentioned. He mentioned many feared that there could possibly be “worse to come back”.
Specialists are warning of a flood menace in Opole, Poland, a metropolis of some 130,000 residents, the place the Oder River has reached excessive ranges and began bursting its banks at some factors. Considerations have additionally been raised northwest of there, within the metropolis of Wroclaw, house to about 640,000 residents, the place the flooding was anticipated on Wednesday. Town suffered a disastrous flood in 1997 and the trauma continues to be current there.
Poland’s authorities introduced a state of pure catastrophe in affected areas and mentioned that it had put aside one billion zlotys ($260m) to assist victims on Monday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk mentioned he was in contact with the leaders of different affected international locations and that they’d ask the European Union for monetary help.
“From at this time, anybody affected by the flood – and right here I imply by flooding, collapsed buildings, flooded garages, misplaced vehicles, losses linked to the flood – will have the ability to simply” declare funds, he added.
Czech authorities declared a state of emergency in two northeastern areas, which have seen the worst flooding, together with within the Jeseniky mountains close to the Polish border.
Quite a lot of cities and cities have been submerged on Sunday within the northeast, with 1000’s evacuated. Navy helicopters joined rescuers on boats in efforts to move folks to security.
Within the Czech Republic, floods shifting in direction of the southeastern a part of the nation inundated the city of Litovel, whereas the Oder River flooded elements of town of Ostrava on the confluence with the Opava River, forcing the evacuation of tons of of individuals on Monday after a pure dam broke. Firefighters and others have been working to repair the issue.
Authorities in Ostrava, the nation’s third-largest metropolis, warned in opposition to travelling there. Most individuals have been with out scorching water and heating within the metropolis.
In Austria, the degrees of rivers and reservoirs fell in a single day as rain eased, however officers have mentioned they’re bracing for a second wave as heavier rain is predicted.
After hitting Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, flooding might have an effect on Slovakia and Hungary subsequent on account of a low-pressure system from northern Italy that has been dumping report rainfall within the area since Thursday.
