WROCLAW, Poland, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the European Union will provide billions of euros to help central Europe recover from severe flooding, as she pledged rescue assistance to flood-hit areas.
Central Europe has been hit by its worst flooding in at least two decades, causing widespread damage from Romania to Poland, killing at least 24 people, destroying bridges, submerging cars and filling cities with mud and debris.
The flooding began last week and was caused by several days of heavy rain, which caused river levels to rise in many parts of the region.
“I am here to reassure you that Europe stands with you,” she told a news conference with leaders of the affected countries in Wroclaw, Poland.
“This is a time of need, a time of natural disasters, and we must all come together to overcome this challenge.”
Von der Leyen said the EU Solidarity Fund would provide 10 billion euros ($11.16 billion) and remove some additional conditions for such funds, such as joint financing by member states, to speed up the response.
He also said that money from the EU Solidarity Fund, which provides aid to member states affected by natural disasters, would be used to rebuild infrastructure.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told private broadcaster Polsat News that Poland could get 5 billion euros.
“We now need to quickly build and repair infrastructure, which will cost huge amounts of money and the national budget will find it difficult to cope,” Czech Prime Minister Fiala said. He added that he was grateful for von der Leyen’s concrete help.
Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura said on Thursday that the government would provide 30 billion crowns ($1.3 billion), or about 0.38% of gross domestic product, in the 2024 budget revision, and 10 billion crowns for an additional 1 billion crowns in the 2025 budget aid.
Czech Republic Interior Minister Vitra Kusen said most of the power supply would be restored by Friday.
The country is holding regional elections this weekend and officials said satellite connections had been set up to allow voting in places that lack a mobile signal.
Forts
Meanwhile, flood protection systems in Wroclaw, Poland’s third-largest city, remained strong on Thursday.
Flooding in the Polish-Czech border region over the weekend reached Wroclaw overnight, but there were no signs of serious damage.
“The urban system has resisted and absorbed the main wave of the flood, which has been affecting Lower Silesia and neighbouring regions for a week now,” local authorities said in a statement on Facebook.
However, officials warned that the water level in the city would remain above normal in the coming days.
Agnieszka Popov-Wozniak, 44, an infertility clinic worker who rides her bicycle around the city, told Askume the situation had turned out better than expected, saying:
“There is currently no flooding in the city centre.”
The military said 16,000 soldiers, police and thousands of volunteers were assisting in the region.
Prime Minister Tusk said officers from Poland’s Internal Security Service (ABW) arrested a man dressed in a military uniform who falsely told people that flood defence systems would be blown up.
Poland has warned citizens to be wary of misinformation about the floods.
In Hungary, cities are grappling with rising water levels in the Danube River, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying water levels in Budapest are expected to peak on Saturday afternoon or evening but will remain below record levels of 2013.
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