By Luiza Ilie and Jason Hovet
BUCHAREST/PRAGUE (Reuters) – Officials reported that flooding in eastern Romania on Saturday resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals and damage to thousands of homes. The rising river levels have led to heightened alertness among authorities throughout central and eastern Europe after several days of heavy rainfall.
Forecasts indicate that further rainfall is expected in the coming days in regions including the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, southern Germany, and parts of Austria.
Evacuations have been initiated in several towns along the Czech-Polish border as rivers exceeded alert levels. Preventative anti-flood measures have been implemented in Prague, the Czech capital, which experienced devastating floods in 2002.
In Romania, flooding has impacted eight counties, according to the country’s emergency response unit. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is set to visit Galati county, one of the hardest-hit areas, where the four deaths occurred and approximately 5,000 homes were damaged. Television footage depicted streets inundated with muddy water, silt, and debris as rescuers escorted residents to safety. A Black Hawk helicopter has been deployed for the search and rescue operations.
In the Czech Republic, the northern and northeastern regions were significantly affected, with some areas receiving up to 25 cm (10 inches) of rain since Thursday, the weather institute reported. Strong winds are expected to exacerbate the situation, with some locations forecast to receive more than a third of their average annual rainfall by Sunday.
Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladik advised residents in the most affected areas to be ready to evacuate. In Prague, flood barriers were installed to protect the city, which has invested heavily in such preventive measures since the 2002 flooding that inundated the subway system and displaced tens of thousands of residents.
Prague Zoo, located along the Vltava River, has been closed to visitors, and Czech Railways reported disruptions on numerous routes. In Brno, the country’s second-largest city, a hospital evacuated its patients as a precautionary measure.
In Glucholazy, a historic town in southwestern Poland near the Czech border, firefighters placed hundreds of sandbags along a swollen river, leading to the evacuation of some residents. Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak remarked that weather forecasts were unfavorable, predicting very heavy rainfall in the border area with the Czech Republic over the next 24 hours, which would further swell rivers flowing into Poland.
Slovakia has issued flood warnings for its capital, Bratislava, due to the rising waters of the Danube River. Meanwhile, Hungary anticipates the Danube will approach near-record levels in the coming days, prompting officials to close lower-lying quays in Budapest starting Monday.
“In Budapest, the wave of flooding is expected to peak at around 8 meters (26 feet) in the latter half of the next week,” the city’s mayor stated on Friday.
In Austria, emergency services are collaborating with district governors and municipalities to prepare for potential evacuations. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer pointed out that all federal states are affected, with the situation deteriorating notably in the northeastern state of Lower Austria.
“The forthcoming days will continue to be extremely challenging for the affected population and emergency services,” Nehammer commented on X.
