European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday, September 19, announced €10 billion ($11 billion) in funds for member nations reeling from “heartbreaking” devastation after the floods caused by Storm Boris.
Von der Leyen spoke in the Polish city of Wroclaw alongside the leaders of four countries from the flood-hit region. “It was for me on the one hand heartbreaking to see the destruction and the devastation through the floods,” she told reporters. “But I must also say it was on the other hand heartwarming to see the enormous solidarity between the people in your countries,” she added.
The death toll from the storm which struck central and eastern Europe last week rose to 24 on Wednesday and some areas are still under threat from rising waters.
Von der Leyen said the European Union had two sources – cohesion funds and the solidarity fund – that it could use to “help with funding to repair and reconstruct” the damage. “At first sight €10 billion are possible to mobilize from the cohesion funds for the countries that are affected. This is an emergency reaction now,” she added.
Strong wind and heavy rains struck the region last week, killing five people in Austria, seven in Poland, seven in Romania and five in the Czech Republic.
Von der Leyen met in Wroclaw – a city also struck by devastating floods in 1997 – with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala, Slovakia’s Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
Storm Boris floods central Europe, causing major damage
Since September 14, Storm Boris has been battering central Europe, bringing torrential rain and deadly flooding to several countries in the region (Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Austria). At least 18 people are reported dead, and the damage caused by the flooding has been staggering. In Poland, where six people were killed, a dam burst, threatening villages further south with a wave of flooding and worsening an already extreme situation.