Storm “Boris“ continues to rage in Central and Eastern European countries.
After claiming four lives in Romania, the disaster claimed two more lives in Poland and Austria. In the Czech Republic, the search is on for four people who were swept away by the torrents. The authorities in Slovakia said that due to the heavy rains in Austria, the situation along the Danube will be much more complicated than expected.
Dikes in the historic Polish town of Glucholazy gave way and water flooded the streets and houses there.
One person drowned and 1,600 people were evacuated in Kłodzko County in southwestern Poland. Klodzko, a town of 25,000 people, is partially underwater after the local river rose to 6.65 meters, well above the warning level of 240 centimeters. About 17,000 households in the county remained without electricity.
"In Klodzko County, 1,600 people were evacuated. 400 people found temporary shelter in the school. We expect that there will be many more evacuations," said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Heavy rain has caused severe flooding in the northern parts of the Czech Republic. In the worst affected areas, more than 100 millimeters of rain fell overnight.
1900 people have been evacuated, many roads are impassable. A quarter of a million homes were left without electricity. Czech police are searching for four people, three of whom were in a car that fell into a river near Lipova Lazne, 235 km east of Prague.
"What you see here is worse than 1997 and I don't know what will happen next because my house is under water and I don't know if I will ever go back to it," said Pavel Bily , a resident of Lipova Lazne.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has ordered urgent aid to flood victims in Galați County. People affected by the natural disaster will receive water and food for a period of seven days and will be temporarily housed in 50 newly built modular homes.
Another 200 are to be created. A red code for torrential rain is in effect for Galac and Vaslui. It will also rain in the western part of the country, where a yellow code is in effect.
The storm "Boris" took the life of a firefighter in Austria. He died during a rescue operation in the province of Lower Austria. Because of the elements, a natural disaster zone was declared there.
"We are living through difficult, dramatic times. For many residents of Lower Austria, these will probably be the most difficult hours of their lives. Torrential rains, thunderstorms, flooding across the country. Unfortunately, one firefighter died. We mourn the loss and our thoughts are with his family," emphasized Johanna Mikl-Leitner, regional governor of Lower Austria.
Evacuation began in the capital city of Vienna due to a spill on the Vienna River. Because of the bad weather, Chancellor Karl Nehhammer interrupted his election campaign. Parliamentary elections in Austria are on September 29.