Storm "Boris" engulfed Central Europe. Record floods are affecting the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania and Poland, while Hungary and Slovakia are preparing for possible consequences. At least eight people died, and four are missing
Floods with whom at the moment faced by the countries of Central Europe could be the worst since 2002, when parts of major cities such as Prague, Dresden and Vienna were submerged, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Center said.
The countries affected by the storm "Boris" are Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poljska, Slovakia and Romania, while the surrounding countries are on alert.
The floods claimed six lives in Romania and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people are missing, the police announced.
Czech Prime Minister: The worst is not over yet
The worst situation is in the two north-eastern Czech regions, which have recorded the heaviest rainfall in recent days. In the town of Opava, which has a population of around 56.000, 10.000 people were instructed to move to higher ground. Rescuers were transporting people to safety in boats.
The mayor of Opava, Tomasz Navratilza, said that the situation is worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the "flood of the century".
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fijala emphasized that the focus is on saving lives, while warning that the worst "is not over yet".
On the other hand, the president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, was more optimistic, saying that the Czech Republic "obviously learned a lesson from the previous crisis."
The Czech Red Cross said it has been providing assistance in Moravia, Silesia and East Bohemia since Friday.
Lower Austria - natural disaster zone
A firefighter died in Austria after he "slipped down the stairs" while pumping water from a flooded basement in the city of Tulln, the head of Lower Austria's fire service said on Sunday.
Austrian authorities have declared the entire province of Lower Austria a natural disaster zone, while rescue units have so far evacuated 1100 houses. Emergency services have started to build temporary accommodation for residents who were forced from their homes by the floods.
The municipality of Lilienfeld with about 25.000 inhabitants is cut off from the world. Residents were told to boil their tap water as a precaution.
The situation is particularly dangerous along the Kamp river, which flows into the Danube. A reservoir on the river acts as a buffer, but exceeding its limits could cause further flooding, experts say.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer pointed out that the situation "continues to deteriorate". According to him, 2400 soldiers are ready to support the relief efforts in Austria. Of these, 1000 soldiers will be deployed to the disaster zone in Lower Austria, where the dams have begun to give way.
"We are going through difficult and dramatic hours in Lower Austria." For many people in that province, these will probably be the most difficult moments of their lives," said the governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner.
In Vienna, the Wien River overflowed its banks, flooding nearby homes and forcing their residents to evacuate. Due to heavy rainfall, traffic in the capital of Austria is partially suspended, schools are in emergency mode, many streets are closed, and some buildings can only be reached by boat, Austrian media reports.
The roads at the western exit from Vienna are closed.
Six killed in Romania
Romanian authorities said on Sunday that two more people had died in the hard-hit eastern district of Galac. About 5400 houses were damaged in that region.
Previously, four people died in that country due to unprecedented rains.
Residents of the village of Pekea in Galac described their shock due to the destruction caused by the floods.
"I have nothing left," social worker Sofia Basalic told AFP, describing how streams of water "came into her house and knocked down the walls," destroyed her kitchen appliances and killed her pets.
Dramatic floods in Poland
One man is believed to have died in floods in southwestern Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sunday. He pointed out that he ordered preparations for the declaration of a state of natural disaster.
Tusk said the situation is "dramatic" around the town of Klodzko, with about 25.000 inhabitants, located near the border with the Czech Republic. Helicopters were used to pull people from rooftops in several cases.
In the city of Jelejna Gora, which has a population of 75.000, the streets in the city center were flooded after one of the embankments on the Bobr River broke. City officials have warned residents that they may be forced to evacuate as more flooding approaches the city.
Power and communications have been disrupted in some flooded areas, and regions could use the satellite-based Starlink service, Tusk said.
Hungary and Slovakia on standby
The mayor of Budapest has announced the third degree of flood danger, which will come into effect on September 16.
The latest forecasts say that the water level of the Danube will be eight meters in the second half of next week, and some lower parts of the coast on the Pest side and the entire coast along the Danube on the Buda side will be closed. Those parts are expected to be flooded.
The Danube could reach its level once in 30 years.
The situation on the Danube will also affect Slovakia, so flood dams will be built in Bratislava as well. A state of emergency was declared in the city.
Heavier precipitation is forecast the next day for Austria, the Czech Republic, southern Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
The change in weather came after a hot start to September in the region. Scientists have documented the hottest summer on Earth, breaking the record set just a year ago.
Sources: BBC/CNN/AP/RSE
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