Historic flooding and thousands of evacuees

“Europe is ready to act,” said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in response to the effects of Storm Boris. whose consequences are “devastating”Since Thursday, large areas of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have been affected by strong winds and heavy rains. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenshowed his “most sincere solidarity” with the victims and their families and assured that “The EU is ready to lend its support”.

In Romania, they were discovered yesterday four corpses In the worst-affected region of Galati in the south-east, 5,000 houses were damaged, emergency services reported, while in the Czech Republic up to 1,000 people have been mobilised. 100,000 firefighters to assist with the nearly 3,000 incidents recorded, most of which were due to falling trees.

As it passed through Poland, the storm caused one dead and nearly 2,000 people had to be evacuated in the southwest of the country. For its part, Austria declared the federal state of Lower Austria, the largest and most populous in the country, a disaster zone on Sunday due to the heavy rains that caused historic floodsforcing the evacuation of thousands of people and causing the death of a firefighter.

‘Flood of the century’ in Austria

“I urge all residents of Lower Austria in the affected regions to prepare for further rain and flooding, which stay alert and follow the instructions of the emergency services. We hope challenges of historic dimensions“especially in Waldviertel,” warned Lower Austria’s governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner after a briefing this morning.

In Waldviertel, about 120 kilometres northwest of Vienna, authorities are expecting the “flood of the century”as they predict that the Kamp River, a tributary of the Danube, will exceed the levels recorded in the last hundred years, causing the reservoir overflow from Ottenstein.

A firefighter has died while pumping water in Lower Austria, where heavy flooding has also left many residents trapped in their homes. “The situation in Lower Austria is dramatic”Mikl-Leitner said.

In the capital, Vienna, there have been registered in the last hours More than 1,100 fire department operations related to wind gusts and flooding in basements, as well as in homes in the west of the city.

Mass evacuations in Poland

Poland’s Institute of Meteorology and Water Management forecasts total rainfall of up to 150 liters per square meter in the provinces of Lower Silesia, Opole, Silesia and Lesser Poland (near Slovakia) until Sunday.

So far, one person has died and nearly 2,000 have been evacuated in southwestern Poland due to the storm, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. “In the district of Kłodzko (in Lower Silesia, near the Czech Republic) the storm has been confirmed.” first death by drowning“, said the liberal politician during a press conference.

The president, who visited Kłodzko, said that 1,600 residents had to be evacuated there, but warned that there would be “many more evacuations” throughout the day. “The situation remains very dramatic in many places,” stressed Tusk.

The Prime Minister reiterated his call to residents to Do not underestimate the threat and do not refuse to evacuate..

Germany, against the clock

Germany is preparing against the clock in two regions in the east and south of the country – especially areas near the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria – against possible flooding due to the Expected overflow of several rivers in the face of the strong storm hitting Central Europe. “Time is running out”fire service spokesman Michael Klahre said Friday evening.

Particularly in Dresden, where part of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe River collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning. A private company, supported by the army, is working tirelessly to remove the debris so that it does not cause even greater flooding.

The Elbe’s water level could rise by up to six or seven metres, compared with the normal level of two. Alert level 1, the first, is expected to be reached in Dresden on Sunday and level 3 on Wednesday or Thursday.

In southern Germany, in the southern region of Bavaria, the first closures are expected in the historic centre of Passau, near Austria, due to flooding in the coming hours.

Five dead in Romania

At least Five people have died and Two are still missing following floods in eastern Romania that have damaged more than 5,800 homes and left 25,000 people without electricity, local authorities reported on Sunday.

“We recorded critical situations in Galati and Vaslui counties, where approximately 5,890 homes were affected303 people were evacuated and five people were found dead,” the Romanian Ministry of the Interior reported in a statement.

Rescue teams found a dead person on Sunday in the commune of Slobozia Conachi, in the southeastern region of Galati, where yesterday other Four more victims were located.