Great fear

Storm: flood wave moves downstream

A man takes a photo of a building in Wroclaw, Poland, which is protected against the floods by sandbags.(Bild: APA/AFP/Sergei GAPON)

In Poland, the peak of the flood wave on the Oder is moving further downstream. The situation is causing great concern.

"We live in the hope that everything will go well," a resident told the news channel TVN24, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk took part in a crisis meeting in Wroclaw. "In some places, we are still in the middle of flood protection and rescue measures," emphasized the politician.

After heavy rainfall, parts of the Czech Republic, Austria and Poland experienced high water and flooding. Entire towns such as Klodzko in Poland and Jesenik in the Czech Republic were flooded and devastated. In Wroclaw in Lower Silesia, the precautionary reinforced dams held. The damage in the affected EU countries runs into the billions.

Geese stand on a table in a flooded neighborhood in Ostrava.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

According to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW), the situation in the towns of Glogow and Nowa Sol further downstream could become alarming. The highest level of the Oder is expected there on Monday morning.

"Take every sandbag we can find"
 Preparations are currently in full swing in the Lubuskie Voivodeship, which borders Brandenburg to the west. "We are taking every sandbag we can find," voivodeship president Marek Cebula told the PAP agency. Marcin Kierwinski, Member of the European Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, has been appointed as the government's representative for post-flood reconstruction.

In the neighboring Czech Republic, the clean-up work continued. In the city of Ostrava, health workers began offering free vaccinations against hepatitis A in the districts affected by the floods. Flooding increases the risk of contracting this infectious disease, as the water can be contaminated.

The police restricted access to the severely affected town of Jesenik in the Jesenik Mountains. This was to prevent an uncoordinated influx of volunteers from causing chaos. The Czech state is expecting additional expenditure of up to 1.2 billion euros this year due to the natural disaster. Insurers estimate the insured losses at the equivalent of around 670 million euros.