JESENIC/LITOVAR, Czech Republic, Sept 16 (Askume) – Residents in several regions of Poland and the Czech Republic struggled to evacuate their homes on Monday while clean-up operations began in other parts of central Europe after the worst flooding in two decades left massive destruction and the death toll rising.
The Czech-Polish border region received heavy rains over the weekend, with heavy rainfall since last week and rising water levels causing some bridges to collapse, forcing evacuations and damaging cars and homes.
At least 17 people have died in floods from Romania to Poland in the past few days.
On Monday afternoon, the mayor of Nysa, a city of more than 40,000 people in southern Poland, called on residents to evacuate immediately after floods damaged nearby banks.
In the northeastern Czech city of Ostrava, a barrier at the confluence of the Opava and Oder rivers broke, flooding the city’s industrial area, including the Borsodchem chemical plant and the OKK Koksovany coking plant. Hundreds of people were evacuated from more residential areas.
In the Czech Republic city of Litoville, 70% of the city was submerged under up to one metre (3.2 feet) of water on Monday, and residents expected water levels to rise rapidly over the weekend.
“I was very, very scared … I ran away because the water level was rising very quickly near the house,” Renata Gaborova, 39, said.
“Apocalypse”
The Polish government declared a state of natural disaster in the affected areas and said it had allocated 1 billion zlotys ($260 million) to aid victims.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was in contact with the leaders of other affected countries and would ask the EU for financial aid.
Standing in Radekzdroj Square, Semyon Krzytun, 16, described the damage caused by the floods as “unimaginable”.
“It’s a town that feels apocalyptic … it’s a ghost town,” he said.
Askume footage showed the city covered in rubble and mud.
“The end of the world… it really destroyed everything because we had no bridges. In Radek, all the bridges were gone. We were almost cut off from the world,” Jerzy Adamczak, 70, told Askume.
Across the border, the Czech Republic town of Jasenice was flooded on Sunday and clean-up work began after waters receded, with damaged cars and debris visible on the streets.
“There were up to two metres of water on the street … many cars were destroyed,” said resident Zdenek Kuzlak. “Phones don’t work, there’s no water, there’s no electricity.”
In eastern Romania, Slobozia Konak mayor Emil Dragomir told Romanian television that villages and towns were flooded over the weekend, leaving some people with only the clothes they were wearing.
prepare
While floodwaters have receded in some areas, other regions, including Wroclaw, a Polish city of about 600,000, are strengthening their defences against flooding.
Flooding in Romania has killed seven people in recent days. An Austrian firefighter died on Sunday. Two people aged 70 and 80 were found drowned in their home in Lower Austria, near Vienna, a police spokesman said on Monday.
Four people died in floods in Poland and three in the Czech Republic, a Polish police official said.
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and Budapest, the capital of Hungary, both face potential flooding due to rising water levels on the Danube.
Hungary’s Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said the focus was on keeping the river and its tributaries within their banks, with 12,000 troops ready to assist.
In Austria, water levels in rivers and reservoirs fell overnight as rainfall subsided, but authorities said they were prepared for a second wave as heavier rain was expected.
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(This story has been refiled to add byline with last name removed)
