Central Europe is in the midst of a devastating flood crisis, the worst in at least two decades, with rivers bursting their banks and claiming lives. The impact of relentless heavy rains, which began last week, is being felt across the region, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland have been particularly hard hit, with surging water levels collapsing bridges, forcing evacuations, and leaving entire communities in ruins. The death toll from the flooding has reached at least 15, stretching from Austria to Romania.
Poland’s government has convened an emergency meeting to declare a state of disaster. Michal Piszko, mayor of the Polish town of Klodzko, situated along the Czech border, reported that water levels have begun to recede, but the town is in dire need of assistance. “We need bottled water and dry provisions, as we have set up a relief point for flood victims evacuated from flooded areas,” he told private broadcaster RMF FM. “Schools will remain closed until the end of the week. Currently, half of the city is without electricity.”
The Polish Education Minister, Barbara Nowacka, announced that around 420 schools across four provinces have been closed. In the town of Nysa, a hospital was forced to evacuate.
Across the border in the Czech town of Jesenik, where floodwaters ravaged the town on Sunday, clean-up efforts have begun after water levels receded, revealing damaged cars and debris strewn across the streets.
In Poland’s Wroclaw, a city with a population of around 600,000, Mayor Jacek Sutryk warned that the city is bracing for peak water levels on Wednesday. “This high wave will pass through Wroclaw for several days,” he stated.
Further east, in the Czech Republic, the rising Morava River has submerged approximately 70% of Litovel, a city with a population of nearly 10,000. Schools and health facilities in the city have been shut down, as reported by the mayor in a Facebook video. Flooded areas in northeastern Czech regional capital Ostrava have forced the closure of a power plant supplying heat and hot water to the city, along with two chemical plants. More than 12,000 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic, and a quarter of a million Czech households were without power over the weekend. However, that number has decreased to 118,000 as of Monday, according to the CTK news agency.
The flooding has claimed six lives in Romania over the weekend, and an Austrian firefighter died on Sunday. In Lower Austria, two men aged 70 and 80 were found drowned in their homes, a police spokesperson revealed on Monday. According to the state news agency PAP, five deaths were reported in Poland, and one in the Czech Republic.
The Danube River is also on the rise, raising concerns in Slovakia and Hungary. Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter assured the public that the government in Budapest is fully prepared to respond, with efforts focused on maintaining the Danube River and its tributaries within their banks. Pinter added that up to 12,000 soldiers are on standby to provide assistance if needed.
In Austria, while river and reservoir levels fell overnight as rainfall subsided, officials are preparing for a second wave of flooding, anticipating heavier rain in the coming hours.
The devastating impact of these floods is a stark reminder of the increasing vulnerability of Central Europe to extreme weather events, highlighting the need for improved infrastructure and disaster preparedness.
