Apart from Austria, large parts of Europe were hit by heavy rains and storms. Four people were killed in Romania. The storm also claimed one life in Switzerland. 60,000 homes in the Czech Republic are without electricity.
So far 5 people have died due to the storm in Europe. 4 people have died due to floods in Romania following heavy rains. Four people have died in southeast Galati, rescue workers said on Saturday. In all, dozens of people had to be rescued across the country, and dozens of houses along the banks of the Danube were said to be under water.
The storm also claimed one life in Switzerland. A teenager was killed when parts of a tree fell in Wengan on Friday morning. He was seriously injured and airlifted to hospital. Later, he died there without treatment.
According to preliminary findings, the woman was walking when she was hit by broken parts of the tree, the Oberland regional public prosecutor’s office announced on Saturday through the text message service “X”. The Bern cantonal police and the public prosecutor’s office are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident.
60,000 homes in the Czech Republic are without electricity
Heavy rain caused flooding in the Czech Republic last night. As a result of the storm, more than 60,000 homes in the Czech Republic are without electricity, CTK reported, citing energy providers. The administrative region around Usty nad Labem (Aussig an der Elbe) in the northwest of the country on the border with Saxony is the worst affected. There alone, more than 20,000 homes were temporarily without electricity.
Waterlogged soil and strong winds caused the trees to fall on the flyover. Emergency services in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia are already preparing for Friday’s storms. In Germany, heavy rains east of the Elbe and Spree raised the water level of the Elbe in Saxony.
The Czech Republic was particularly hit by heavy rain. Many rivers and streams were flooded. Around 40 people were brought to safety from their homes as a precaution in Siroka Niwa community in Brundal district in the east of the country. The village of Visnova in the Liberec district of northern Bohemia can only be reached by a heavy fire department off-road truck due to flooded roads.
Problems with rail transport too
There was also a problem with rail transport. Trees that fell on the tracks blocked many tracks. An alternative bus service was established between the West Bohemian health resort of Franziskovy Lasne (Franzensbad) and the Saxon town of Bad Brambach. Czech State Railways (CD) allows passengers to return tickets for their journeys up to Sunday without cancellation fees.
Maximum alert level 3 (“danger”) was in effect on Saturday morning at more than 25 water measuring stations, for example at Spindleruv Mlyn (Spindlermühle) on the upper reaches of the Elbe. Water levels were expected to rise over the weekend. Heavy rain fell especially in the Jeseníky Mountains and the Giant Mountains, but also in southern Bohemia and northern Moravia.
According to the Czech Meteorological Service CHMU, 100 to 170 millimeters of rain fell in the last 24 hours in the most affected areas. In Mikulowicz, Jeseník district, water from surrounding fields flooded houses and streets. The Bela, a tributary of the Glatzer Neisse, also caused problems there. Firefighters set up barricades with sandbags in numerous bodies of water. Trees fell due to water logging in many places. Many railway lines were cut.
Preparations for flooding in Prague
In Prague, preparations for the expected Vltava flooding were in full swing. Flood walls should be built on the banks of other parts of the city. Shipping stopped. About 1,000 cubic meters of water per second was expected to hit the Czech capital on Sunday night.
On the Elbe at Usti nad Labem (Aussig an der Elbe), the situation was still calm with normal water levels. The flow of the main rivers of the Czech Republic is controlled by several dams. According to earlier information from Agriculture Minister Marek Wyborni, 879 million cubic meters of free capacity was recently available across the country to retain water mass.
In the southern Bohemian town of Budweis (Ceske Budejovice), firefighters have been building flood defense walls since Friday evening. They loaded sandbags into the Maltsch River and set up a makeshift barrier on the banks of the Vltava River. According to meteorologists, river levels in the Czech Republic will continue to rise over the weekend.
Demolition of the Dresden Corolla Bridge under time pressure
In Germany, alert level 1 could be reached for Dresden on Saturday evening, which is expected on Sunday morning, the Saxon state flood center announced in a warning message. Higher water levels are currently expected in the Saxon Elbe river gauges from Wednesday and Thursday next week. For Saxony, the German Weather Service (DWD) said in the early hours of Saturday morning that continuous rain is expected to taper off by midday on Saturday. Sunday night is expected to be clear of precipitation. According to the forecast, rain will resume on Sunday.
Demolition and removal work is progressing well following the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden. “We’re really working hard against time,” fire department spokesman Michael Clahre said in the morning. The work continued uninterrupted throughout the night. The target is to complete clearance work by Sunday. “As the water level continues to rise, if this area is flooded, we will no longer be able to work here,” Klahre explained about the expected flooding of the Elbe.
On Friday evening, two Bundeswehr armored recovery vehicles arrived at the base to provide support. He was grateful for that, Klahrey said. If the water level rises, the technology may have to be reduced. The ground is already level due to rain and equipment can get stuck. “That’s why the support of the Bundeswehr is incredibly important.
The river overflows its banks in Poland
The situation in southwestern Poland is also dire. In the Opole region, the Biała Głucholaska River overflowed its banks. About 400 residents were brought to safety from the village of Glukoláci, near the border with the Czech Republic. Interior Minister Tomasz Simoniak arrived at the scene and released pictures of the rescuers’ work on X. One hundred firefighters and 60 police officers were stationed in the village, Simoniak wrote. Some residents of the Moro village were evacuated as the banks of the Mora River overflowed. In total, the fire department carried out 400 operations in the area.
As for Germany, the German Weather Service predicted heavy, continuous rain in the Alps and eastern low mountain ranges. In the Alps above 1,200 meters, precipitation falls as snow. At elevations above 2,000 meters, about one meter of fresh snow is possible. A DWD spokesman said it was “somewhat unusual” for this time of year. At night the snowfall range drops to about 1,000 meters.
The first streets of Bavaria were flooded on Saturday morning. A severe weather warning has been issued. The situation will improve from Saturday afternoon onwards. The eastern Upper Palatinate and Eastern Alps were worst affected. Floods and landslides can occur here. Between the Mangfall Mountains and the Berchtesgaden Alps, 80 to 100 liters of rain falls per square meter within 48 hours. But flooding could also occur in other parts of southeastern Bavaria. (APA/dpa)
