No less than 15 individuals have now died in flooding brought on by Storm Boris in central and japanese Europe, with many international locations bracing for extra torrential rain.
The flooding has been the worst central Europe has seen in a minimum of 20 years, authorities stated on Monday.
Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland have been particularly hit arduous over the weekend, with surging water ranges resulting in collapsed bridges and broken vehicles and homes.
The variety of flood victims in southwestern Poland rose to 5 after the physique of a surgeon getting back from hospital obligation was discovered within the city of Nysa on Monday morning, firefighters stated.
Earlier, the our bodies of two girls and two males have been discovered within the cities of Bielsko-Biala and Ladek-Zdroj, and in two villages.
Police within the Czech Republic stated that one girl drowned within the northeast, which has been pounded by report rainfall since Thursday. Seven different individuals have been lacking on Monday, up from 4 a day earlier.
In the meantime, in Romania, the flooding killed a minimum of six individuals over the weekend, and in Austria, a firefighter died on Sunday. Within the state of Decrease Austria that surrounds Vienna, two males aged 70 and 80 have been additionally discovered drowned of their houses, a police spokesperson stated on Monday.
Tv footage on Monday confirmed streets within the Polish area of Klodzko strewn with particles and dirt. Within the Polish city of Nysa, a hospital was evacuated, with sufferers together with pregnant girls and aged individuals taken away in rafts. Many Polish cities, together with Warsaw, have referred to as for meals donations for flood survivors.
Reporting from Klodzko, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig stated that the scenario within the city was devastating.
“When the floods got here by way of this historic city, it wreaked havoc … persons are attempting to salvage what they will … persons are interesting for assist. They need meals, garments and electrical energy,” he stated.
He stated individuals have been placing sandbags within the streets and in entrance of their homes in preparation for extra floods.
“However it’s tough to organize. When the primary [flood] wave hit, it was very excessive and there was no warning,” Baig stated. He stated many feared that there could possibly be “worse to come back”.
Specialists are warning of a flood menace in Opole, Poland, a metropolis of some 130,000 residents, the place the Oder River has reached excessive ranges and began bursting its banks at some factors. Considerations have additionally been raised northwest of there, within the metropolis of Wroclaw, residence to about 640,000 residents, the place the flooding was anticipated on Wednesday. Town suffered a disastrous flood in 1997 and the trauma remains to be current there.
Poland’s authorities introduced a state of pure catastrophe in affected areas and stated that it had put aside one billion zlotys ($260m) to assist victims on Monday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated he was in contact with the leaders of different affected international locations and that they’d ask the European Union for monetary assist.
“From as we speak, anybody affected by the flood – and right here I imply by way of flooding, collapsed buildings, flooded garages, misplaced vehicles, losses linked to the flood – will be capable to simply” declare funds, he added.
Czech authorities declared a state of emergency in two northeastern areas, which have seen the worst flooding, together with within the Jeseniky mountains close to the Polish border.
A lot of cities and cities have been submerged on Sunday within the northeast, with 1000’s evacuated. Army helicopters joined rescuers on boats in efforts to move individuals to security.
Within the Czech Republic, floods shifting in direction of the southeastern a part of the nation inundated the city of Litovel, whereas the Oder River flooded elements of town of Ostrava on the confluence with the Opava River, forcing the evacuation of a whole lot of individuals on Monday after a pure dam broke. Firefighters and others have been working to repair the issue.
Authorities in Ostrava, the nation’s third-largest metropolis, warned in opposition to travelling there. Most individuals have been with out scorching water and heating within the metropolis.
In Austria, the degrees of rivers and reservoirs fell in a single day as rain eased, however officers have stated they’re bracing for a second wave as heavier rain is anticipated.
After hitting Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, flooding may have an effect on Slovakia and Hungary subsequent on account of a low-pressure system from northern Italy that has been dumping report rainfall within the area since Thursday.