Floods Claim More Lives as Torrential Rain Strikes Central Europe

By David W Cerny, Radovan Stoklasa, and Marek Strzelecki

JESENIK, Czech Republic/WARSAW – The death toll from flooding in central Europe increased to eight on Sunday as thousands were evacuated from their homes in the Czech Republic due to days of heavy rainfall that caused rivers to overflow in several areas.

A low-pressure system named Boris triggered downpours stretching from Austria to Romania, resulting in some of the worst flooding experienced in nearly thirty years in the affected regions of the Czech Republic and Poland.

Further rain and strong winds are expected to continue at least until Monday, although conditions improved on Sunday in Romania, which faced the worst of the flooding a day earlier.

Thousands of homes have suffered damage over the weekend, with bridges being swept away and at least 250,000 households—primarily in the Czech Republic—experiencing power outages.

In southwestern Poland, one individual drowned, and a firefighter involved in rescue operations was killed in Austria. Additionally, two fatalities were reported in Romania, following four deaths in that country on Saturday due to the flooding.

In Lower Austria, the province surrounding Vienna where the firefighter died, officials declared the area a disaster zone and cautioned against non-essential travel.

A bridge collapsed in the historic Polish town of Glucholazy near the Czech border, prompting local officials to order evacuations early Sunday. Reports indicated another bridge collapsed in the mountain town of Stronie Slaskie following a dam breach, as noted by the Polish meteorological institute.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who visited nearby flooded areas, announced that the government would declare a state of disaster and seek assistance from the European Union.

‘UNDER WATER’

In the neighboring Czech Republic, police are actively searching for three individuals who went missing after their car plunged into the Staric River near Lipova-lazne, a village located about 235 kilometers (146 miles) east of Prague. The region has received approximately 500 mm (19.7 inches) of rainfall since Wednesday.

Footage from the area showed floodwaters rapidly flowing through Lipova-lazne and nearby Jesenik, damaging houses and transporting debris.

"We don’t know what will come next," said local resident Mirek Burianek. "The internet isn’t working, telephones are down … We are waiting for help to arrive."

Lipova-lazne resident Pavel Bily described the floods as worse than those experienced in 1997, stating, "My house is under water, and I don’t know if I will even return."

Residents in some affected areas are preparing for worsening conditions. "When it rains in the nearby mountains, it will reach us in five or six hours," noted Ferdinand Gampl, an 84-year-old resident from the village of Visnova, located 138 kilometers (86 miles) north of Prague.

Emergency services utilized helicopters to evacuate individuals stranded in the Lipova-lazne district. Overall, more than 10,000 people have been evacuated across the Czech Republic, according to the head of the fire service.

In Budapest, Hungary’s capital, officials have raised forecasts for the Danube River’s levels to exceed 8.5 meters (27.9 feet) later this week, approaching the record of 8.91 meters (29.2 feet) set in 2013.

As the rain diminished in Romania, efforts began to restore power to approximately 11,000 homes while cleanup operations commenced as residents assessed the destruction.

"Everything I have is destroyed," lamented Victoria Salceanu from the eastern village of Slobozia Conachi.