Many parts of Austria are under state of emergency due to heavy rain. Poland and the Czech Republic fight back against massive floods – and evacuate the first villages. In Germany the situation is still relatively relaxed.
More than 40 communities in Austria have been declared disaster areas due to heavy rains. By Saturday evening there were still 24 communities. The situation is particularly dangerous on the rivers Kamp and Krems, which flow into the Danube. In the Waldviertel, 120 kilometers northwest of Vienna, the long-term average is expected to flood only once every 100 years.
“The coming hours will be the hour of truth for flood protection and a big test for our emergency services and numerous comrades,” warned Johanna Mikl-Leitner, governor of Lower Austria. Especially in the Waldviertel, “challenges of historic dimensions” are expected.
Critical situation in Ottenstein Reservoir
The first evacuations took place in some communities on Friday evening. In the state of Lower Austria alone, the fire brigade went on 160 missions overnight due to storm damage.
Ottenstein Reservoir is in danger of overflowing. Water has been drained there since Monday to create more space, a spokesman for energy supplier EVN said. A Danube tributary, Camp, would flood. In the lower reaches of the river, values for the 100-year flood may be exceeded.
Railways and car clubs advise against travel
Heavy rain is expected from Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland across Upper Austria, Salzburg and most of Upper Styria and the Tyrolean lowlands. On Thursday, Austrian Railways warned of “deviations and delays in train traffic” and called on passengers to “postpone non-urgent journeys to another time”, including Sunday.
Many roads have been cut off by fallen trees or broken vehicles. Other routes, such as the Großglockner High Alpine Road, were closed for safety reasons. In some areas, snow chains were mandatory.
Poland: High alert in many regions
Since Friday morning, southwest Poland has received more rain than the “Millennium Flood” of 1997. 161.5 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours in Jarnoldovek, Opole region, the Institute of Meteorology (IMGW) reported. This is 30 mm more than the previous record value.
A dam in Mitzigorz in southwestern Poland overflows. “The dam in Medzygorze is overflowing. Although the water has been released, it has reached its peak! The water flow is high,” the Lower Silesian Municipality of Bystrika Kłodzka wrote on the platform of the Regional Water Management Authority in Wroclaw.
The Silesian city of Opole is gearing up for a wave of waves. According to the municipal administration, the water level will be around five meters on Sunday morning. It could reach a maximum of six meters by Monday. At present there is no danger to people due to flooding.
Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city, is also inundated. Public transport in the metropolis of about 800,000 people was temporarily blocked as several underpasses at the hub filled with water. In the afternoon, the municipal administration informed that the problems were resolved.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk attended a crisis committee meeting in Nice in the evening. Later, he appealed to the affected people to move to a safe place in time. At the meeting, he heard that it was sometimes difficult for citizens to leave their homes, he said. “But after an hour or five hours, evacuation is no longer possible.” Weather forecasts for the coming hours are not promising, Tusk continued. The night will be a “dramatic challenge”.
Many deaths in Romania
Flooding also occurred in eastern Romania after heavy rains. At least four people died in Galati and Vaslui districts, the disaster relief agency said. Around 5,000 houses were also damaged in the worst affected part of the country.
Dozens of people were rescued from flooded homes in the region either by boat or by plane. Earlier a storm had knocked down trees and made the roads impassable.
Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolagu canceled his plans on Saturday to get an idea of the situation in Galati. More than 160 liters of rain per square meter fell in some areas, Environment Minister Mircea Faset told Andhra News Agency. “Right now we are trying to save as many lives as possible,” Fessett said before traveling to Galati.
Czech Republic: Houses and streets flooded
A tense situation prevails in the Czech Republic. In the eastern part of Moravia-Silesia, authorities estimate that hundreds if not thousands of people have to be evacuated from their homes. A dangerous situation has been declared there and in the surrounding area of Olomouc (Olomouc).
Even small streams were raging. In some places people had to be brought to safety by boat. Pictures show streets flooded with floating cars.
Tens of thousands without electricity
A clinic also had to be evacuated due to flooding. The clinic’s management announced that more than 180 patients from the hospital in Brno had to be gradually transferred to other facilities.
Meanwhile, more than 60,000 homes in the Czech Republic were without electricity. This was reported by CTK citing energy suppliers. The northwest of the country, bordering Saxony, is the worst affected. There alone, more than 20,000 homes were temporarily without electricity. It is said that mud and strong winds caused trees to fall on power lines.
According to meteorologists, river levels in the Czech Republic will continue to rise over the weekend. Some places have received 50 to 110 liters of rain per square meter since Friday.
The edge of the German Alps is particularly affected
In Germany, especially the southern and eastern federal states are preparing for flooding. In the southeast of Bavaria There has already been a minor flood. In Upper Bavaria, individual streams overflowed their banks, a police spokesman said. The banks of small streams in the Bavarian Forest are also flooded. However, experts warn that sometimes precipitation in rivers is observed only after a few hours or days.
In Passau, where the three rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz meet, the city announced that the first closures in the Old Town are expected in the evenings. A strong warning has been issued not to enter flooded areas.
The German Weather Service (DWD) said “continuous rain conditions at the edge of the Alps will last until Sunday morning” – with occasional storms. Generally, this leads to a storage volume of 40 to 60 liters per square meter, and from Simgao eastwards to about 100 liters per square meter.
Flood and landslide hazard warning
Also in Saxony Since Friday, 30 to 50 liters of water per square meter has fallen in some places in 24 hours. In the Erzgebirge and Upper Lusatia it ranged from 70 to almost 100 litres. Streets, tunnels and buildings near water are at risk of flooding, as well as landslides, according to DWD’s warning on Thursday.
High water levels are currently expected on the Elbe in Saxony from Wednesday and Thursday next week. That is why the demolition of the collapsed part of Dresden’s Carola Bridge needs time.
Precipitation due to low “anet”.
The rain is triggered by a rare weather event where the warm Mediterranean low meets the cold polar air in the Alpine region. Rainer Behrendt explains that such developments often lead to heavy, sometimes heavy rainfall and storms. ARD-Wetterkompetenzzentrum. A lot of moisture from the recently very warmed Mediterranean contributed to an unusual degree in the case of the “Annette” depression.
Martin Adam, ARD Warsaw, tagesschau, September 14, 2024 8:46 am
