Austria braces for foreseen catastrophic flood event.
Severe weather conditions have led to flooding in various parts of Central and Eastern Europe. In Romania, four individuals have lost their lives due to the floods. In Austria, Poland, and Czechia, the peak of the flooding on several rivers is yet to come.
According to rescue services in Romania's Galati region, situated in the southeast, "four bodies were discovered." Flooding has been reported in a total of 19 locations across Romania, with numerous people requiring rescue. A video from the rescue forces showed numerous homes along the Danube submerged underwater. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was expected to visit the flooded area.
In Czechia, more than 100,000 firefighters were called into action due to the storms. On Friday, approximately 1,900 incidents were reported, mainly floods and fallen trees. Over 50,000 households suffered power outages, as per energy company CEZ. A hospital in Brno, located in southeastern Czechia, was evacuated, and the northeastern region of Moravia declared a state of emergency. "The ground is now saturated, which means that all the rainwater will remain on the surface," explained Environment Minister Petr Hladik on the X online service.
A state of emergency was also declared in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. In Poland, the situation was reportedly the most challenging in the southwest part of the country. The Polish-Czech border crossing at Golkowice was closed due to a river that had burst its banks.
Austria Braces for Century Flooding
Due to persistent heavy rainfall, more than a dozen communities in Austria have been declared disaster areas. In the Waldviertel region, around 120 kilometers northwest of Vienna, flooding is expected that only happens on average once every 100 years. "The coming hours will be a test for our emergency services and numerous fellow countrymen," warned the governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner. "Especially in the Waldviertel, we expect challenges of historical proportions."
Emergency services are preparing to evacuate people as a precaution. There are concerns that the Ottenstein reservoir could overflow. Water has been released from it since Monday to create more space, said a spokesman for energy supplier EVN. If it overflows, it could cause significant flooding on the Kamp, a tributary of the Danube. Current forecasts suggest that the values for a 100-year flood could still be exceeded in the lower reaches of the river. A 20- to 30-year flood is expected on the Danube.
Up to 150 millimeters of rain has fallen in some places since Thursday. Up to 230 millimeters of rain is forecast for the night from Sunday to Monday, along with strong winds. In the western mountain regions, snow is currently blocking several roads, and rescue teams are searching for a man who went missing after an avalanche. Parts of Tyrol were covered in up to one meter of snow - just last week, temperatures above 30 degrees were recorded.
"Almost all federal states are affected by the heavy rainfall and, in some cases, snowfall of the past few days. The situation is particularly critical in Lower Austria," quoted APA Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer. "The peak is not yet reached, and the coming days will be extremely challenging and demanding for the affected population and emergency services," he said.
In Styria, power outages occurred in parts of East and Upper Styria, as well as the eastern Graz area, due to fallen trees, according to APA reports: As of the morning, 4,000 households were without power, according to the energy networks of Styria.
The Slovak Republic also declared a state of emergency due to the severe weather conditions. The flooding in Slovakia has caused significant disruptions, affecting numerous areas and requiring the deployment of rescue services.
