Torrential rains from Storm Boris have left at least 15 dead, thousands displaced, hundreds of thousands without power and significant material damage in historic flooding in Central and Eastern Europe.
Romania
In the eastern county of Galati, the worst-hit region in Romania, heavy rains caused extensive damage and left without electricity to 25,000 people. Some 5,000 homes were damaged. Authorities confirmed Death of six people in the area over the past two days and the evacuees number in the hundreds.
National and local authorities have deployed a vast system to rescue and care of trapped peopleand have set up temporary camps and modular housing for those affected.
The President, liberal Klaus Iohannis, expressed solidarity with those affected and stressed that this storm is a new example of the effects of climate change. “Climate change increases the risks associated with cyclonic phenomena and the floods they cause. Given the increasing frequency of these phenomena, it is imperative to accelerate the critical infrastructure projects aimed at reducing risks,” he said.
Poland
Storm wreaks havoc in Poland the life of four people and the government of Donald Tusk has already prepared emergency funds and requested European aid. The Polish executive also declared disaster zone several districts of the most affected southern regions: Lower Silesia, Silesia and Opole.
In addition, additional forces are being mobilized to combat flooding, while some 1,600 people have already been evacuated. As heavy rains continue to persist in many parts of the southern half of Poland, the attention of emergency services is now focused on containing overflowing rivers, particularly the Pilchowice reservoir (south), which has started to overflow and has caused an overflow. evacuate more than 3,000 residents.
Austria
In Austria, Boris’s scourge caused rivers to flood to levels not seen in decades and forced one of the nine states, Lower Austria, to be declared a disaster area.
So far they have been confirmed three deceased, a firefighter and two elderly people who drowned at home, both in the area.
Floodwaters have destroyed 12 dams in Lower Austria, while 12,000 homes are without electricity and 23 towns have no drinking water. Some 800 people have been rescued by helicopter in the last hour.
More than 2,400 soldiers They are taking part in emergency efforts, as rail transport and some metro lines in Vienna have been suspended.
The President, Alexander Van der Bellen, cancelled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York because of the disaster.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is also suffering from the storm, especially in the north, where more than 50,000 homes were left without electricity. The authorities reported one dead and seven missingas the number of evacuated people rises to 12,000 nationwide.
The persistent rains that have been hitting the country since Thursday have caused many rivers and streams to overflow. Currently, dozens of places have declared the third (maximum) degree of flood activity, especially in the northeastern Moravian-Silesian region.
The town of Litovel, which crosses the Morava River, is 80% flooded. “We are isolated from the world, at the moment no one can enter or leave here, only firefighters “Because somewhere the water is already more than a meter high,” said the city’s mayor, Viktor Kohout.
More than 12,000 people were evacuated in the country, where hundreds of thousands of homes are without electricity due to outages in high-voltage networks. Flooding of the Odra, Opava and Novohradka rivers remains a threat.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala warned against risk of water contamination and food and asked citizens to take precautions.
Hungary
In Hungary, authorities warn that the Danube could reach levels close to the historical documents.
The army has deployed specialist teams to strengthen flood protection, and Budapest’s mayor has said it is ready to deal with one of the worst floods in years.
For his part, the Hungarian Prime Minister, the ultranationalist Viktor Orbán, announced on Monday that He postponed all his commitments international organizations to address the situation.
Slovakia
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, said on state of emergencywith heavy rains continuing in the coming days.
