Heavy rainfall and surging river levels have triggered severe flooding across Eastern Europe, with authorities bracing for more adverse weather in the coming days. The deluge has caused extensive damage and loss of life in Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Austria.
In Romania, heavy rains have led to significant damage, affecting tens of thousands of homes. By Saturday, four fatalities had been reported. The hardest-hit area is Galati County, where around 5,000 homes were damaged, and 25,000 residents were left without power. In some regions, over 160 liters (42 gallons) of rain per square meter have been recorded. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis extended his condolences to the victims’ families and emphasized the need to enhance the country’s capacity to anticipate extreme weather events, attributing the crisis to the broader impacts of climate change.
In the Czech Republic, the flooding has caused widespread disruption, particularly in the northern regions. Up to 450 millimeters of rain has fallen since Wednesday evening, with some areas expected to receive more than a third of their average annual rainfall by the end of the weekend. The flooding has left over a quarter of a million homes without power. Czech police are searching for three individuals who were swept away in a car in the northeast, and about 10,000 residents in Opava have been evacuated. Mayor Tomas Navratil described the current situation as worse than the catastrophic floods of 1997, known as the “flood of the century.”
Poland and Austria have also been affected by the severe weather. In southwest Poland, one person was found drowned, and in Austria, a firefighter lost their life while responding to the flooding. The northeastern province of Lower Austria has been declared a “disaster zone,” with evacuation orders issued for 24 villages. State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner warned of “historical dimensions” of the challenges faced by flood protection and emergency services in the region.
As the situation continues to develop, emergency services and local authorities are working around the clock to manage the impacts of the severe weather and provide aid to affected communities. The situation remains fluid, with forecasts indicating more rainfall and potential worsening of conditions.