At least four people have died and thousands of homes have been damaged by flooding in eastern Romania, as surging river levels put authorities on alert in central and eastern Europe. Tens of thousands of households were left without power in Romania and the Czech Republic, with more rainfall expected in the coming days. Residents of some towns along the Czech-Polish border were evacuated as rivers rose past alert levels, while Prague implemented preventative anti-flood measures. In Romania, flooding affected eight counties, with 5,000 homes damaged and 25,000 without power. Television images showed streets flooded with muddy water as rescuers led residents to safety.
In the Czech Republic, northern and northeastern areas experienced heavy rainfall resulting in 51,000 households losing electricity supply. Forecasters warned that some parts of the country could see more than a third of average annual rainfall by Sunday. Environment Minister Petr Hladik urged people in the worst-hit areas to prepare for evacuation.
In Poland near the Czech border, firefighters piled hundreds of sandbags alongside a swollen river and some residents were evacuated. Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said weather forecasts looked unfavorable with very heavy rainfall expected around the Czech border area over the next 24 hours.
Officials in Slovakia warned of flooding threats in Bratislava from the swollen Danube River while Hungary expects record-high river levels in the coming days. In Austria, emergency services worked with district governors and municipalities to prepare for evacuations.
The situation is deteriorating across all federal states according to Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer who stated that “the coming days will still be extremely difficult and challenging for the affected population.”
