Central Europe is bracing for what meteorological services predict will be the worst floods in decades, which will hit several countries over the weekend. Four people were already found dead in Romania on Saturday, September 14, emergency services announced in a press release.
“Due to heavy rains, flooding occurred” and in total throughout the country, “19 towns and dozens of people were rescued”They added. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is expected there. In addition to Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary have been preparing for this depression since Thursday. Many cultural events have been cancelled due to the strong winds and exceptional rainfall.
Reservoirs near emptied dams
Water retention facilities, mainly reservoirs near dams, have been emptied to hold back this exceptional rainfall. In Poland, the alerts are in effect in the south of the country, particularly in cities on the banks of the Oder, such as Wroclaw and Opole. “There is a real risk of local flooding from Friday to Sunday”the Polish weather forecast warned. In Wroclaw, which has 675,000 inhabitants, the municipality has set up a crisis unit.
According to Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladik, the situation in his country “It could be similar to that of 1997 and 2002”. Floods in 1997 hit Moravia in the eastern Czech Republic, killing 50 people and causing damage estimated at billions of dollars. This is the region where the heaviest rainfall is expected again. In 2002, floods hit the west of the country, killing 17 people and causing even more damage than in 1997.
In Austria, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the army was ready to deploy up to 1,000 soldiers if necessary. The Slovak army and volunteer firefighters also said they were on standby.
