VINNOVA, Czech Republic, Sept 14 (Askume) – Flooding in eastern Romania killed at least four people and damaged thousands of homes on Saturday, officials said, after torrential rains raised river levels and prompted authorities to take emergency action across much of eastern Europe, raising the alarm.
Thousands of homes were without power in Romania and the Czech Republic, with more rain expected in the coming days. Heavy rain is also expected in parts of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, southern Germany and Austria.
Residents of some towns on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland were evacuated as river levels exceeded warning levels, while the Czech capital Prague , which had suffered devastating floods in 2002, also took flood prevention measures.
Romania’s emergency department said floods have affected eight counties in Romania. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu visited Galati County, the worst-hit county, and found that four people had died in the county and about 5,000 homes were damaged and 25,000 homes were without electricity.
Television images from the area showed dirty water, silt and debris covering roads as rescue workers moved residents to safety.
“The priority is obviously to save lives. Right now we have all the resources we need to intervene quickly,” Cholku said.
Evacuations, power cuts
The northern and northeastern regions of the Czech Republic were worst hit by the floods, where 51,000 homes lost power, according to the CTK news agency.
Meteorologists warned that average annual rainfall could fall by more than a third in some parts of the country by Sunday, and Environment Minister Peter Hladik urged people in the worst-hit areas to be ready to leave their homes.
In the village of Višnova, 140 kilometres (87 miles) north of Prague, local resident Roman Kristof said his cabin was not damaged because it was on high ground. He said others were not so lucky.
“I feel for the neighbors,” he said, surveying the floodwaters.
The city of Prague, with a population of over 1.3 million, is located on the Vltava River and is topped by the 14th-century Charles Bridge, which has established flood protection embankments.
After flooding in 2002 affected the metro system and forced thousands of people from their homes, the city invested heavily in preventive measures.
Prague Zoo, on the banks of the Vltava River, is closed to visitors, and Czech Railways said services on dozens of lines were disrupted. A hospital in Brno, the country’s second-largest city, evacuated patients as a precaution.
The coming “Night of Trouble”
In the historic town of Głuchowaczy in southwestern Poland, near the Czech border, firefighters placed hundreds of sandbags on the banks of a rising river and some residents were evacuated.
Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said the weather forecast was unfavorable and there would be heavy rainfall in the Czech border region over the next 24 hours, causing Polish rivers to swell.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the X Forum: “We are facing a critical night that requires full mobilization.”
Authorities in neighbouring Slovakia have warned the capital Bratislava of the risk of flooding from rising Danube levels, while Hungary fears river levels will reach record highs in the coming days.
Austria’s emergency services are working with regional governors and municipalities to prepare for evacuations.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer said all federal states were affected and the situation was worsening, especially in the northeastern state of Lower Austria.
“The coming days will be extremely difficult and challenging for the people affected and for the emergency services,” Nemer said on X.
