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Catastrophic flooding caused by Storm Boris has swept through central Europe, forcing the evacuation of an entire Polish city and pushing the death toll towards 20.
In Nysa, a city of 44,000, officials ordered residents to flee for higher ground as floodwaters threatened to breach an embankment and release a cascade of water from a nearby lake.
Volunteers have been desperately trying to fortify the floodwalls.
The death toll from the severe floods, which began over the weekend, rose to at least 19 on Tuesday, with seven confirmed fatalities in Romania. Poland, Austria, and the Czech Republic were also among the hardest hit.
In Romania’s Galati region, where 700 homes in the village of Slobozia Conachi have been inundated, mayor Emil Dragomir described the situation as a “catastrophe of epic proportions”.
Two popular tourist cities, Hungary’s capital Budapest and Wroclaw in Poland, are bracing for flooding, with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban deploying soldiers to reinforce barriers along the Danube River.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, declared a state of natural disaster across the affected region of southern Poland.
British Foreign Office warnings
The British Foreign Office currently has the following warnings in place:
- Austria (east): Road closures and disruptions to public transport may occur in affected areas. Check road traffic information and public transport updates from Austrian Railways and Vienna public transport before you travel.
- Czech Republic: Heavy rain and flooding is causing severe disruption, especially in southern and eastern parts of the country.
- Poland: Heavy rain and flooding is causing severe disruption in the Lower Silesia (Dolnośląskie), Silesian (Śląskie) and Opolskie Voivodeships [counties] in southwest Poland. Check local conditions before you travel and follow the instructions of the Polish authorities if you are in these areas.
- Romania: Heavy rain and flooding is causing disruption in eastern Romania. Check local conditions before you travel and follow the instructions of the Romanian authorities if you are in these areas.
Rachel Hagan17 September 2024 12:05
Polish train services disrupted
Across Poland, several train routes have been suspended due to the flooding. Some services are still running with shortened routes and passengers have been advised to check their route before setting off.
Rachel Hagan17 September 2024 11:54
Polish minister says climate change to blame for floods
A Polish minister has said the extreme floods are not normal and blamed climate change for the devastation.
Urszula Sara Zielińska, deputy climate minister, told the BBC that more than 3,000 people have been evacuated across the country already.
She said after a devastating flood in 1997 it was said that natural disasters of that scale would “happen once every thousand years” but now we are seeing it happen just 26 years later.
Urszula said flooding of this severity is not normal and that “there is a clear cause to that and it’s called climate change.”
Rachel Hagan17 September 2024 11:50