“Deadly Flooding Sweeps Across Central and Eastern Europe, Leaving 17 Dead and Thousands Evacuated”
Flooding from Austria to Romania has resulted in the tragic loss of at least 17 lives, with thousands of individuals being evacuated as a result of torrential rain causing rivers to overflow their banks. The downpours, stemming from the low-pressure system Storm Boris, have led to some of the most severe flooding in nearly three decades across Central and Eastern Europe.
Countries such as Austria, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic have been grappling with extreme rainfall, prompting the Polish government to declare a state of emergency. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has secured $260 million in emergency funding for the regions in Poland that have been hardest hit by the floods, according to Polish news agency PAP.
In the Czech Republic, the closure of heating plants due to the floods resulted in the loss of electricity and hot water for thousands of residents. Near the border with Poland, 280,000 individuals in Ostrava were left without hot water, as reported by CNN Prima.
The mayor of Nysa, a town in Poland with a population of 44,000, issued a warning urging residents to evacuate to higher ground immediately due to the potential for a significant flood wave. Tragically, seven people have lost their lives in Romania, with additional fatalities reported in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland.
Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria, emphasized the critical nature of the situation, stating that the region remains in a state of crisis. The devastating floods have evoked memories of the catastrophic flooding that occurred in the summer of 1997, with some areas experiencing even worse conditions than in the past.
As the risk of further flooding looms, Budapest has announced road closures near the Danube River, with the mayor offering a million sandbags to residents. The Danube has flooded parts of Bratislava in Slovakia, with Hungary also bracing for additional flooding along the river.
The Czech Republic has experienced the highest total rainfall amounts, with one town receiving five times the average monthly rainfall in just a few days. Austria has also seen record-breaking rainfall, surpassing levels seen in the wettest autumn on record.
The impact of climate change on extreme weather events in Europe cannot be ignored, with warmer atmospheric conditions leading to increased moisture and more intense rainfall. As Storm Boris continues to wreak havoc across the continent, the aftermath of the flooding will require significant recovery efforts and support for affected communities.