Flood situation worsens: dam overflows in Poland – first evacuation

The flood situation is worsening
Dam in Poland overflows – first evacuation

September 15, 2024, 2:33 am

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The flood situation in many neighboring countries is dire. Romania is already reporting several deaths, and Prime Minister Tusk in Poland is speaking of a “dramatic challenge” after the first dam fills. There are no major operations in Germany yet.

While Germany has experienced only minor flooding so far, flooding in many neighboring countries has already worsened. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday night it was a “dramatic challenge.” A dam there overflowed in the evening. In Austria, dozens of places have been declared disaster areas. The Czech Republic is also affected. At least four people were killed in Romania. In many places in Poland, it has already rained more than the so-called Millennium Flood in 1997, Tusk said. He appealed to citizens to move to a safe place in good time, given the rising water levels of several rivers in southwestern Poland.

In Glatzer Schneegebirge, on the Czech Republic’s Polish border, the situation at one dam was dire. “The dam in Medzygorze is overflowing. Although the water has been released, it has reached its peak! The water flow is high,” wrote the Lower Silesian municipality of Bystrika Kłodzka in X. Residents of low-lying villages were evicted. Water Management Authority. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the dam on the Wilczka stream is 29 meters high and the flood protection basin can hold almost one million cubic meters of water. This was not enough during the 1997 flood – even then the dam overflowed.

Evacuations in the Czech Republic were also expanded due to the risk of flooding. In Opava, on the Polish border, authorities announced that thousands of people had to be brought to safety. Also, hundreds of people have fled their homes and are elsewhere in the region.

A reservoir in Lower Austria is at risk of overflowing

In Austria, the situation is particularly tense in the Waldviertel region of Lower Austria, north of Vienna. There the Camp, a tributary of the Danube, was already in great flood. Stefan Bernkopf, the deputy governor of Lower Austria, spoke of the “size of a hundred-year flood event”. This means that, on a long-term average, such conditions occur only once in 100 years.

Rain was also expected on Sunday night. Ottenstein am Camp reservoir is in danger of overflowing. According to Federal Chancellor Karl Nehhammer, the situation is getting worse. Army stands ready to provide support. 42 municipalities were declared disaster areas due to the risk of flooding – 24 more by evening. Flooding is expected on the Danube in Austria, which occurs on average once every 30 years on a long-term average. The flood is expected to peak on Monday night.

In Germany, storms with heavy rain caused minor flooding in southeastern Bavaria. According to the German weather service, rain is expected to taper off on the edge of the Alps on Sunday morning. Police in Rosenheim said late in the evening that they were not aware of any major weather-related activity. At times, streams overflowed their banks and flooded streets.

Regarding the prospects, meteorologists said: “Renewed, long-lasting showers from the east in parts of Saxony and Bavaria from Sunday afternoon.” In eastern Saxony, between 30 and 50 liters of rain per square meter is expected between lunchtime on Sunday and Monday.

According to officials, the rain may cause flooding in the Czech Republic and Poland and flooding in Brandenburg. “With the predicted heavy rainfall, a flood wave may form in the Lusatian Neisse from Sunday to Monday and in the Oder and Elbe from the middle of next week,” said a spokesman for Brandenburg’s environment ministry.

The debris of the collapsed Carola Bridge in Dresden was removed

The Saxon state capital of Dresden expects the Elbe to reach four meters in the morning and alert level 1 to apply. Normal level is about two meters. The highest alert level 4 will apply next week as well. Officials have not ruled out that it will exceed seven meters.

The wreckage of the partially collapsed Carola Bridge over the Elbe in Dresden was removed under high pressure. On Saturday evening, the first major demolition work on the bridge over to Neustadt was completed. The city wanted to prevent water from pooling in the ruins and causing additional flooding.