storm
Flood wave moves downstream in Poland
People are working to strengthen the dykes in Poland. Photo
© Krzysztof Zatycki/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
It is still too early to give the all-clear on the Oder in Poland. The country is still in the middle of protection and rescue measures, warns Prime Minister Tusk. In the Czech Republic, vaccinations are being carried out against epidemics.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk took part in an emergency meeting in Wroclaw. “In some places we are still in the middle of flood protection and rescue measures,” the politician stressed.
Situation not yet calmed down
After heavy rainfall, parts of the Czech Republic, Austria and Poland experienced flooding. Entire cities such as Klodzko in Poland and Jesenik in the Czech Republic were flooded and devastated. In Wroclaw (Breslau) in Lower Silesia, the dams that had been reinforced as a precaution held up. The damage in the affected EU countries runs into the billions.
According to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW), the situation in the towns of Glogow and Nowa Sol, which are further downstream, could become worrying. The Oder is expected to reach its highest level there on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, in the Lubusz Voivodeship, which borders Brandenburg to the west, preparations are in full swing. “We’ll take every sandbag we can find,” said voivodeship president Marek Cebula to the PAP agency. MEP and former Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski was appointed government representative for reconstruction after the flood.
Vaccinations in the Czech Republic
Clean-up work continued in the neighboring Czech Republic. In the city of Ostrava, health workers began offering free vaccinations against hepatitis A in the districts affected by the floods. Floods increase the risk of contracting this infectious disease because the water can be contaminated.
The police restricted access to the badly affected town of Jesenik in the Jeseniky Mountains. This was to prevent an uncoordinated influx of volunteers from causing chaos. The Czech state expects additional expenditure of up to 1.2 billion euros this year due to the natural disaster. Insurers estimated the insured losses at the equivalent of around 670 million euros.